It seemed to me that the writer/director of this very touching story had a choice as to how to bring the movie to an end. But instead of giving the poor woman a break, he decided to again clobber her. She was so unselfish and good and had to continually swim against a tidal wave bad luck and bad relatives and the poverty of post-war Japan. And just when the promise of a nice ending is there ready to be realized, an ending that would make up for all the woes of her life, the writer/director has Akiko get hit by a truck. I know that Japanese love movies that make them cry, and this movie certainly did that, but I think this movie went just a little too far.
Review of Happiness of Us Alone
