Dispersed Clouds

“Wakare-gumo” (Dispersed Clouds, 1951) was Gosho’s first film for his independent company Studio Eight. In a very clear manner, the film reflects the ideals of the American occupation censors, and there are pros and cons in Gosho’s maneuvering. The occupation forces wanted the Japanese to make movies, where societal conditions return to normal, wartime wounds are patched, people are highlighted as individuals, and all ideology and nationalist boasting would be left out. For a film like “Dispersed Clouds” you could probably have gotten an award.Still, Gosho’s film is a nice watch. The director had been known for his humanism already in the 1930’s, so you can view his post-war films not as obvious attempts at pleasing the censors, but a continuation of his well-known style. This film is about five young women, all studying at a university, who arrive in a small rural community to do sight-seeing. They are originally just there to change trains, but as one of the girls Masako (Sawamura Keiko) suddenly gets sick, the others leave as she stays in the local motel. The inn-keeper attempts to bond with Masako, and gradually we learn her backstory.There is tragedy in Masako’s past, but slowly she realizes that this is the same with everyone, and yet all these people around her carry on with their lives and keep a positive attitude. This is the message of the film, and sometimes the lines that highlight this are a bit comedic. (The last lines especially are over the top). There is a possible romance with a handsome doctor, but this film is at its best as a depiction of a small, high-spirited community. Gosho manages to paint a welcoming portrait of this distant place, and the depiction of the locations is very nice.Gosho is one of my favorite Japanese directors. “Dispersed clouds” is a minor work in his catalog, but a nicely made one nevertheless.