Kabei: Our Mother

Kabei: Our Mother

An inspiring story of a mother's courage in a time of war.

2008 · 133 min · ★ 7.4 · Family, Drama

Set in Tokyo in 1940, the peaceful life of the Nogami Family suddenly changes when the father, Shigeru, is arrested and accused of being a Communist. His wife Kayo works frantically from morning to night to maintain the household and bring up her two daughters with the support of Shigeru's sister Hisako and Shigeru's ex-student Yamazaki, but her husband does not return. WWII breaks out and casts dark shadows on the entire country, but Kayo still tries to keep her cheerful determination, and sustain the family with her love. This is an emotional drama of a mother and an eternal message for peace.

Directed by Yoji Yamada · Written by Yoji Yamada

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

Amazon Video

Cast

Make it a double feature

4h 14m together

Kabei: Our Mother

Love and Honor

Both from Yoji Yamada.

More from Yoji YamadaSee all →

Tora-san's MatchmakerTora-san's Matchmaker · 1993
Tora-san's Matchmaker
9.01993
MovieComedy
After failing to find a job, Mitsuo becomes a fisherman on a small island, and develops a crush on a young nurse there. Tora-san, dispatched to bring Mitsuo back home, himself falls in love with an attractive but troubled woman visiting her father.
Tora-san Goes NorthTora-san Goes North · 1987
Tora-san Goes North
9.01987
MovieComedyDrama
When his travels take him to rural Hokkaido, Tora-san helps a cantankerous old veterinarian (Mifune) in his relationships with his estranged daughter, and a woman in whom he is secretly interested.
Tora-san Goes to ViennaTora-san Goes to Vienna · 1989
Tora-san Goes to Vienna
8.71989
MovieComedy
During his wandering throughout Japan, Tora-san meets a suicidal man. He travels with the man to Vienna, but winds up homesick for Japan.
Tora-san's Tropical FeverTora-san's Tropical Fever · 1980
Tora-san's Tropical Fever
8.31980
MovieComedyFamily
When cabaret singer Lily writes Toraya about her illness, Tora-san rushes to Okinawa to be by her side.
Tora-san's Dream of SpringTora-san's Dream of Spring · 1979
Tora-san's Dream of Spring
8.21979
MovieComedy
Tora-san's opinions about Americans get challenged when another wandering peddler Michael Jordan stops by Shibamata.
My SonsMy Sons · 1991
My Sons
7.81991
MovieComedyRomance
Tetsuo is a young man living in Tokyo, who falls in love with a deaf-mute factory girl. He has always felt jealous of his college-educated brother, but ultimately wins both the girl and his father's acceptance and support in a touching and refreshing way.
The Twilight SamuraiThe Twilight Samurai · 2002
The Twilight Samurai
7.82002
MovieDramaRomance
Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles to take care of his two daughters and senile mother. New prospects seem to open up when the beautiful Tomoe, a childhood friend, comes back into he and his daughters' life, but as the Japanese feudal system unravels, Seibei is still bound by the code of honor of the samurai and by his own sense of social precedence. How can he find a way to do what is best for those he loves?
Love and HonorLove and Honor · 2006
Love and Honor
7.42006
MovieDramaRomance
A look at the relationship between a young blind samurai and his wife, who will make a sacrifice in order to defend her husband's honor.
A Distant Cry from SpringA Distant Cry from Spring · 1980
A Distant Cry from Spring
7.41980
MovieDrama
The quiet life of a mother and her young son living on a farm in Hokkaido is changed by the arrival of a man who ignites flames of romance in the heart of the mother and shows her boy the importance of grit and kindness, but then he leaves with the autumn wind.
The Castle of SandThe Castle of Sand · 1974
The Castle of Sand
7.41974
MovieCrimeMystery
Two detectives are tasked to investigate the murder of an old man, found bludgeoned to death in a Tokyo rail yard.
A Class to RememberA Class to Remember · 1993
A Class to Remember
7.31993
MovieDrama
A cantankerous but loveable high school teacher teaches a night school in a poor neighborhood for adult students on the fringes of Japanese society.
Tokyo TaxiTokyo Taxi · 2025
Tokyo Taxi
7.32025
MovieDrama
One day, taxi driver Koji Usami is tasked with driving 85-year-old Sumire Takano from Shibamata, Tokyo to a senior care facility in Hayama, Kanagawa. Sumire asks Koji to make some detours. Gradually opening up to her, Sumire begins to tell the story of her grand past...
What a Wonderful Family!What a Wonderful Family! · 2016
What a Wonderful Family!
7.32016
MovieComedyFamily
A husband and wife have been married for 50 years. For her birthday, the husband asks the wife what she wants for her birthday present. She replies that she wants a divorce. The wife's divorce announcement sends the entire family into chaos.
Tokyo FamilyTokyo Family · 2013
Tokyo Family
7.32013
MovieDrama
An elderly couple journey to Tokyo to visit their grown children, only to find them preoccupied and self-involved.
The Yellow HandkerchiefThe Yellow Handkerchief · 1977
The Yellow Handkerchief
7.01977
MovieComedyDrama
A convict, newly released from prison for murder, joins two strangers on a road trip through Hokkaido to visit his ex-wife, whom he hasn't seen in four years, knowing that if she puts a yellow handkerchief on the window, it would mean that she wants him back at home.
Nagasaki: Memories of My SonNagasaki: Memories of My Son · 2015
Nagasaki: Memories of My Son
6.92015
MovieDrama
Nobuko works in Nagasaki, Japan as a midwife. Her son died 3 years earlier from the atomic bomb. On August 9, 1948, her son appears in front of her again. Since that time, Koji appears in front of her and they reminiscence about pleasant times. These happy, but bizarre moments seem eternal.

More Like This

GandhiGandhi · 1982
Gandhi
7.61982
MovieDramaHistory
In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.
Closely Watched TrainsClosely Watched Trains · 1966
Closely Watched Trains
7.21966
MovieComedyDrama
At a village railway station in occupied Czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatcher’s apprentice longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Oblivious to the war and the resistance that surrounds him, this young man embarks on a journey of sexual awakening and self-discovery, encountering a universe of frustration, eroticism, and adventure within his sleepy backwater depot.
LolitaLolita · 1962
Lolita
7.31962
MovieDrama
Humbert Humbert is a middle-aged British novelist who is both appalled by and attracted to the vulgarity of American culture. When he comes to stay at the boarding house run by Charlotte Haze, he soon becomes obsessed with Lolita, the woman's teenaged daughter.
Judgment at NurembergJudgment at Nuremberg · 1961
Judgment at Nuremberg
8.01961
MovieDramaHistory
In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.
Finding NeverlandFinding Neverland · 2004
Finding Neverland
7.32004
MovieDramaFantasy
During a writing slump, playwright J.M. Barrie meets a widow and her four children, all young boys—who soon become an important part of Barrie’s life and the inspiration that lead him to create his masterpiece. Peter Pan.
DollsDolls · 2002
Dolls
7.52002
MovieDramaRomance
Dolls takes puppeteering as its overriding motif, which relates thematically to the action provided by the live characters. Chief among those tales is the story of Matsumoto and Sawako, a young couple whose relationship is about to be broken apart by the former's parents, who have insisted their son take part in an arranged marriage to his boss' daughter.
Antonia's LineAntonia's Line · 1995
Antonia's Line
6.91995
MovieDramaComedy
After World War II, Antonia and her daughter, Danielle, go back to their Dutch hometown, where Antonia's late mother has bestowed a small farm upon her. There, Antonia settles down and joins a tightly-knit but unusual community. Those around her include quirky friend Crooked Finger, would-be suitor Bas and, eventually for Antonia, a granddaughter and great-granddaughter who help create a strong family of empowered women.
The Best Years of Our LivesThe Best Years of Our Lives · 1946
The Best Years of Our Lives
7.71946
MovieDramaRomance
It's the hope that sustains the spirit of every GI: the dream of the day when he will finally return home. For three WWII veterans, the day has arrived. But for each man, the dream is about to become a nightmare.
IndochineIndochine · 1992
Indochine
7.01992
MovieDramaRomance
In colonial Vietnam, dashing French naval captain Jean-Baptiste, wealthy plantation owner Éliane Devries, and her adopted Vietnamese daughter Camillevare form the three points of a cross-cultural romantic triangle. As the struggle against European imperialism sweeps Indochina, Jean-Baptiste and Camille have to choose sides and Éliane faces the emotionally difficult challenge of raising the child of her daughter and ex-lover.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian · 2008
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
6.62008
MovieAdventureFamily
One year after their incredible adventures in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan Pevensie return to Narnia to aid a young prince whose life has been threatened by the evil King Miraz. Now, with the help of a colorful cast of new characters, including Trufflehunter the badger and Nikabrik the dwarf, the Pevensie clan embarks on an incredible quest to ensure that Narnia is returned to its rightful heir.
Lady SnowbloodLady Snowblood · 1973
Lady Snowblood
7.51973
MovieActionCrime
A strikingly beautiful young woman is trained from birth to be a deadly instrument of revenge against the swindlers who destroyed her family.
SpanglishSpanglish · 2004
Spanglish
6.12004
MovieDramaComedy
Mexican immigrant and single mother Flor Moreno finds housekeeping work with Deborah and John Clasky, a well-off couple with two children of their own. When Flor admits she can't handle the schedule because of her daughter, Cristina, Deborah decides they should move into the Clasky home. Cultures clash and tensions run high as Flor and the Claskys struggle to share space while raising their children on their own, and very different, terms.
Jakob the LiarJakob the Liar · 1999
Jakob the Liar
6.71999
MovieComedyDrama
In 1944 Poland, a Jewish shop keeper named Jakob is summoned to ghetto headquarters after being caught out after curfew. While waiting for the German Kommondant, Jakob overhears a German radio broadcast about Russian troop movements. Returned to the ghetto, the shopkeeper shares his information with a friend and then rumors fly that there is a secret radio within the ghetto.
AvalonAvalon · 1990
Avalon
6.71990
MovieDrama
A Polish-Jewish family comes to the U.S. at the beginning of the twentieth century. There, the family and their children try to make themselves a better future in the so-called promised land.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter