About

Naoko Ishikawa (Sachiko Hidari), the wife of a businessman, lives with her husband in a modern apartment complex overlooking a sprawling slum. Naoko’s husband, played by Eiji Okada (Woman in the Dunes 1964) is “an ordinary man in search of an ordinary life”. Naoko, on the other hand, finds herself yearning to find her place within a world increasingly divided by class. Their orderly, middle-class existence is disrupted when a fire in the slum draws Naoko’s attention, stirring her growing curiosity about its residents. Venturing into the area, she encounters children at play and unexpectedly encounters her husband’s former university acquaintance, now a rag dealer surviving on society’s margins. As the two become acquainted, an unlikely connection begins to form, challenging the boundaries between their vastly different worlds.

A stark and compassionate portrait of postwar Japan, She and He explores socioeconomic inequality and the quiet shame that enforces social divisions. Through gestures of everyday kindness and an unlikely bond, the film reveals an often-overlooked side of Japan's rapidly modernising society at the time. Directed by Susumu Hani, the film blends documentary realism with fiction, perfectly accompanied by a subtle, evocative score. She and He received widespread critical acclaim both in Japan and internationally after being screened at the 14th Berlin International Film Festival, where Sachiko Hidari won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for both this film and for The Insect Woman 1963 by Shōhei Imamura. Hidari also received Best Actress honours from the Blue Ribbon Awards, the Mainichi Film Awards and Kinema Junpo in 1964.

All Ages | Contains mild themes