In this charming, accessible Yasujiro Ozu drama comprised of several episodic stories, Noriko, a young Japanese woman accustomed to a sense of independence is bullied into a family-arranged marriage, revealing an astute study of generational and cultural conflicts. The juxtapositions between traditional Japanese societal roles and the encroaching popularity of western influenced modes of behavior are personified by the daughter and her struggle within her family. Traditional Japan and Western modernity subtly clash within the household of young Noriko in post World War II Japan. Surrounded by loving older parents, a married brother, his wife and their children, Noriko maintains her modern ways, despite familial pressure to marry and settle down. This theme, so often approached by Yasujiro Ozu, is played out here in a series of episodes, highlighting the intricacies of every day Japanese life. Noriko lives an almost American lifestyle, working at an office, communing with sassy female friends. The plot is at times minimal, as in several other Ozu films, but the characters come alive as the film progresses, developing a whole world within Noriko’s family and office life. As her boss and family pressure her to marry a forty-year-old bachelor, Noriko makes her own plans. Early Summer is Ozu at his best, giving priority not to the story, but to the riveting characters and their changing world.