Farewell to Dream

Farewell to Dream (aka, Clouds at Twilight 夕やけ雲 Yūyake-gumo) is a 1956 Japanese film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita. Two of the supporting actors won Japanese awards in part based on their performances in Farewell to Dream.

Farewell to Dream is told mostly in flashback. It is framed by scenes at the beginning and end of the movie in which the protagonist, Yoishi, is shown at 20 years old looks out into the distance and muses about how his dreams of becoming a sailor will never come true.[1] The bulk of the film shows events from when Yoichi was about 16. His father's death and have forced him to take over the family's struggling fishmonger shop, and although he becomes more successful than his father, it is not how he wants to spend his life.[1][2] in the meantime, Yoichi's older sister takes selfish actions which damage the family.[1][2] Other disappointments Yoichi faces include his best friend moving away, and his imagined romance with a woman he views from his room via binoculars never coming to fruition.[1][2]

Michael Kienzl comments that "Kinoshita relies less on emotional outbursts than on quiet touching moments."[2] He gives as an example the farewell scene between Yoichi and his best friend, in which the tragedy of their parting is conveyed through close ups of their touching feet and a long handshake.[2] Turner Classic Movies' Rob Nixon draws attention to the beginning framing scene, in which Yoichi's being hemmed in by his circumstances is reflected in the mise en scene which shows Yoichi in a narrow frame between two buildings.[1]

Yoshiko Kuga, who played Yoishi's older sister, won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Farewell to Dream and two other films.[3] Eijirō Tōno, who played Yoishi's father, won the Mainichi Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in this and two other films.[3]