A Quiet Life

A Quiet Life

Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburō Ōe's masterpiece now blossoms with the music of Hikari Ōe.

1995 · 121 min · ★ 7.6 · Drama

A melodrama about the life of a mentally disabled young man and his devoted sister after their famous novelist father and housewife mother go to Australia on a business trip.

Directed by Jūzō Itami · Written by Jūzō Itami

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Criterion Channel

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 57m together

A Quiet Life

The Last Dance

Both from Jūzō Itami.

More from Jūzō ItamiSee all →

Make-UpMake-Up · 1984
Make-Up
★ 10.01984
MovieDrama
Play it, Boogie-WoogiePlay it, Boogie-Woogie · 1981
Play it, Boogie-Woogie
★ 8.01981
MovieDrama
A runaway cat-loving girl begins a love triangle with a reckless older man and a young biker in high school. The film follows their subsequent chaotic relationships.
TampopoTampopo · 1985
Tampopo
★ 7.81985
MovieComedy
In this humorous paean to the joys of food, a pair of truck drivers happen onto a decrepit roadside shop selling ramen noodles. The widowed owner, Tampopo, begs them to help her turn her establishment into a paragon of the "art of noodle-soup making". Interspersed are satirical vignettes about the importance of food to different aspects of human life.
The Makioka SistersThe Makioka Sisters · 1983
The Makioka Sisters
★ 7.41983
MovieDramaRomance
This sensuously beautiful film chronicles the activities of four sisters who gather in Kyoto every year to view the cherry blossoms. It paints a vivid portrait of the pre-war lifestyle of the wealthy Makioka family from Osaka, and draws a parallel between their activities and the seasonal variations in Japan.
Choji Snack BarChoji Snack Bar · 1983
Choji Snack Bar
★ 7.21983
MovieDrama
Eiji lives a quiet life running a small Izakaya with his wife. He spends his days cooking for and serving the lively residents of his small hometown.
The FuneralThe Funeral · 1984
The Funeral
★ 7.21984
MovieComedyDrama
When Wabisuke's father-in-law unexpectedly dies, the family goes through a series of random events and occurrences as the funeral unfolds over three days in their home.
Minbo, or The Gentle Art of Japanese ExtortionMinbo, or The Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion · 1992
Minbo, or The Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion
★ 7.01992
MovieComedyCrime
An upscale Japanese hotel hires Mahiru Inoue, a lawyer adept at dealing with the Yakuza, to help them rid their hotel of the local gangsters so they can get a contract for a meeting of important foreign officials.
55 Days at Peking55 Days at Peking · 1963
55 Days at Peking
★ 6.91963
MovieHistoryWar
Diplomats, soldiers and other representatives of a dozen nations fend off the siege of the International Compound in Peking during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion. The disparate interests unite for survival despite competing factions, overwhelming odds, delayed relief and tacit support of the Boxers by the Empress of China and her generals.
The Last DanceThe Last Dance · 1993
The Last Dance
★ 6.91993
MovieDramaComedy
A successful Japanese movie director in his sixties becomes increasingly ill while working on his latest film. Though his family, friends, and doctor try to keep the secret of his terminal cancer from him, Buhei gradually comes to realize the truth of his condition, leading him on a journey of despair, anger, and – ultimately – acceptance.
Lord JimLord Jim · 1965
Lord Jim
★ 6.81965
MovieAdventureDrama
After being discredited as a coward, a 19th century seaman lives for only one purpose: to redeem himself. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2000.
The Family GameThe Family Game · 1983
The Family Game
★ 6.81983
MovieComedyDrama
A sendup of the stereotypical Japanese family: dad is a salaryman jerk, unable to relate to anyone; mom is a hopeless housewife; the older son is a moderate academic success; but the younger son is a rebellious goof-off for whom a tutor must be hired. The tutor proceeds to blow the entire family apart.
A Taxing WomanA Taxing Woman · 1987
A Taxing Woman
★ 6.71987
MovieComedyCrime
Intrepid tax investigator Ryoko Itakura sets her sights on the mysterious and philandering Hideki Gondo, a suspected millionaire and proprietor of a thriving chain of seedy hourly hotels, who has for years succeeded at hiding the true extent of his assets from the Japanese authorities. Itakura and Gondo soon find themselves engaged in a complicated, satirical battle of wits.
Supermarket WomanSupermarket Woman · 1996
Supermarket Woman
★ 6.71996
MovieComedyDrama
A struggling Japanese neighborhood supermarket manager chances upon an old classmate, who has plenty of ideas for revitalizing his business.
A Taxing Woman's ReturnA Taxing Woman's Return · 1988
A Taxing Woman's Return
★ 6.41988
MovieComedyMystery
Ryōko Itakura returns as the tough-as-nails government taxing agent. This time she must figure out a way to expose a fanatical religious cult lead by a corrupt sociopath.
Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of VengeanceLady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance · 1974
Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance
★ 6.41974
MovieActionDrama
Lady Snowblood is caught by the police and sentenced to death for her crimes. As she is sent to the gallows she is rescued by the secret police who offer her a deal to assassinate some revolutionaries.
Woman in Witness ProtectionWoman in Witness Protection · 1997
Woman in Witness Protection
★ 6.41997
MovieDramaComedy
Vain, middle-aged actress Biwako is placed in witness protection while authorities investigate the brutal murder she witnessed. Under the watch of two dedicated cops, Biwako struggles to maintain her career, her public image, and her personal life as she prepares for her new role on the witness stand.

More Like This

AtonementAtonement · 2007
Atonement
★ 7.62007
MovieDramaRomance
A young girl irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
Pride & PrejudicePride & Prejudice · 2005
Pride & Prejudice
★ 8.12005
MovieDramaRomance
A story of love and life among the landed English gentry during the Georgian era. Mr. Bennet is a gentleman living in Hertfordshire with his overbearing wife and five daughters, but if he dies their house will be inherited by a distant cousin whom they have never met, so the family's future happiness and security is dependent on the daughters making good marriages.
Les MisérablesLes Misérables · 1958
Les Misérables
★ 7.21958
MovieDrama
In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
Les MisérablesLes Misérables · 1998
Les Misérables
★ 7.21998
MovieCrimeDrama
In 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
CandyCandy · 2006
Candy
★ 7.12006
MovieDramaRomance
A poet falls in love with an art student, who gravitates to his bohemian lifestyle — and his love of heroin. Hooked as much on one another as they are on the drug, their relationship alternates between states of oblivion, self-destruction, and despair.
Revolutionary RoadRevolutionary Road · 2008
Revolutionary Road
★ 7.02008
MovieDramaRomance
A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates.
Odette ToulemondeOdette Toulemonde · 2007
Odette Toulemonde
★ 5.72007
MovieComedyDrama
Objectively, Odette Toulemonde has nothing to be happy about, but is. Balthazar Balsan has everything to be happy about, but isn’t. Odette, awkwardly forty, with a delightful hairdresser son and a daughter bogged down in adolescence, spends her days behind the cosmetic’s counter in a department store and her nights sewing feathers on costumes for Parisian variety shows. She dreams of thanking Balthazar Balsan, her favorite author, to whom – she believes – she owes her optimism. The rich and charming Parisian writer then turns up in her life in an unexpected way.
Under CapricornUnder Capricorn · 1949
Under Capricorn
★ 6.01949
MovieDramaRomance
A British ex-convict in colonial Australia and his fragile wife, haunted by the past crime that binds them, struggle to rebuild their lives when a young newcomer stirs long-buried passions and secrets.
Murder on the Orient ExpressMurder on the Orient Express · 1974
Murder on the Orient Express
★ 7.11974
MovieDramaThriller
In 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.
Legends of the FallLegends of the Fall · 1994
Legends of the Fall
★ 7.41994
MovieDramaWestern
In early 20th-century Montana, Col. William Ludlow lives on a ranch in the wilderness with his sons, Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel. Eventually, the unconventional but close-knit family are bound by loyalty, tested by war, and torn apart by love, as told over the course of several decades in this epic saga.
Jean de FloretteJean de Florette · 1986
Jean de Florette
★ 7.71986
MovieDrama
In a rural French village, an old man and his only remaining relative cast their covetous eyes on an adjoining vacant property. They need its spring water for growing their flowers, and are dismayed to hear that the man who has inherited it is moving in. They block up the spring and watch as their new neighbour tries to keep his crops watered from wells far afield through the hot summer. Though they see his desperate efforts are breaking his health and his wife and daughter's hearts, they think only of getting the water.
Manon of the SpringManon of the Spring · 1986
Manon of the Spring
★ 7.61986
MovieDrama
In this, the sequel to Jean de Florette, Manon has grown into a beautiful young shepherdess living in the idyllic Provencal countryside. She plots vengeance on the men who greedily conspired to acquire her father's land years earlier.
ViridianaViridiana · 1962
Viridiana
★ 7.71962
MovieDrama
Viridiana is preparing to start her life as a nun when she is sent, somewhat unwillingly, to visit her aging uncle, Don Jaime. He supports her; but the two have met only once. Jaime thinks Viridiana resembles his dead wife. Viridiana has secretly despised this man all her life and finds her worst fears proven when Jaime grows determined to seduce his pure niece. Viridiana becomes undone as her uncle upends the plans she had made to join the convent.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter