If you loved Ugetsu, try The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum

A bridge between a film you've already seen and one most people haven't. The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum has roughly 5.0× fewer votes than Ugetsu — it's a deeper cut, not a mainstream recommendation. Here's what they share, and what the second one does that the first one doesn't.

What they share

Both films are directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, and they both carry the bittersweet, foreign gem, slow burn mood tags, and they sit in Drama territory. If that's the register that drew you to Ugetsu, the second film will land in a comparable space — through a different lens.

bittersweetforeign gemslow burn

What The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum is

Mizoguchi does not exactly traffic in light comedy. A male Kabuki actor, pampered as the adopted son of his famous father, realizes his acclaim is unearned. Spurned, he runs off with a woman from his household to make his own name in Osaka. It's a melodrama that is indeed very long.

Ask for a deeper bridge

Discover modes
About & sources
Built with care for saturated cinephiles. · TBS Digital Studio ☕ Buy us a coffee
Refine your taste
What vibe?

Extra filters

Date night mode Skip gore, bleak endings
Watching with kids Age-appropriate only
Kids ages?