Early Summer depicts a Japan in transition. Defeated and occupied by the Americans, the Japanese both cling to their traditional ways and embrace new ideas from their occupiers. How does the movie show this transition? Does this movie make a judgment about the new American influence? Is there a political slant, however subtle, in this film? What does this movie think about baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie?
The movie "Early Summer" can be regarded as a symbolic representation of the country's transition into the post-World War II period, highlighting the contrast between the underlying traditional values and the increasingly popular American culture. Placed in the post-war Tokyo, the film skillfully deals with the collision of tradition and modernity which is mostly manifested in the narration of the Hirayama family’s behaviors. Through examination of the effect of social norms and family relations on the family, the director Yasujirō Ozu represents the adaptation of the Americanization on Japanese society in a subtle way. This shift is noticeable in different parts of the film, in character's clothes and manners; and also in their consumption of US goods such as Coca-Cola and transistor radios. "Early Summer' does not come outright condone or condemn the influx of American influence but criticizes subtly the depletion of traditional values in the arms of modernity. The movie's political stance is shown as a result of a constructive look at a clash between tradition and modernism, with a view to demonstrate the complexity of Japan which was in a state of the post-war identity crisis. With a character of Noriko who is an young lady who struggle in deciding between duty of family and independent decisions, the film also symbolizes the broader struggle of Japanese society to reconcile its past with its lack of certain future. "Early Summer" treats the subjects of baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie with a sophisticated point of view that neither unconditionally dismisses nor enthusiastically accepts American brands. On the contrary, Ozu employs these signs as a means of emphasizing the increasing role played by American culture in daily lives of people of Japan but likewise to scrutinize the degree of cultural assimilation and identity formation. However, “Early Summer” shows us humanity that borders are malleable and the everlasting struggle to fit in a changing society in a swift world.
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