Kabei: Our Mother

Kabei: Our Mother
film poster
Directed by	Yoji Yamada
Written by	Terayu Nogami (biography) Yoji Yamada & Emiko Hiramatsu (screenplay)
Starring	Sayuri Yoshinaga Tadanobu Asano Rei Dan Mirai Shida
Distributed by	Shochiku
Release dates	January 26, 2008 (2008-01-26)
Running time	132 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Box office	$18,385,964

Kabei: Our Mother (母べえ, Kābē) is a 2008 Japanese film starring Sayuri Yoshinaga and directed by Yoji Yamada.

The film was based on the autobiographical novel by Teruyo Nogami, who for many years worked with director Akira Kurosawa, often as script supervisor.

Plot

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.

Cast

• Sayuri Yoshinaga as Kayo Nogami
• Tadanobu Asano as Yamazaki Toru
• Rei Dan as Hisako Nogami
• Mirai Shida as Hatsuko Nogami
• Miku Satō as Teruyo Nogami
• Umenosuke Nakamura as Kyūtarō Fujioka
• Takashi Sasano
• Denden
• Bandō Mitsugorō X as Shigeru Nogami
• Mizuho Suzuki as Hajime Nikaido
• Chieko Baisho as Hatsuko Nogami (adult)
• Keiko Toda as Teruyo Nogami (adult)
• Michie Tomizawa
• Mayumi Tanaka
• Kumiko Nishihara
• Masuo Amada
• Daisuke Gori

Reception

The film received several nominations at the 32nd Japan Academy Prize, including for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress for Sayuri Yoshinaga, Best Supporting Actor for Tadanobu Asano and Best Supporting Actress for Rei Dan.

See also

• Japanese resistance during the Shōwa period

External links

• Kabei: Our Mother at IMDb