If Indeed One Loves

1955 1h 24m JA

🤯

10.0

MASTERPIECE

★10.0TMDB · 1

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The film consists of three short stories. Tomiko, the heroine of the first story, "The Flower Girl" (dir. Kozaburo Yoshimura), is a little girl who bears the unbearable burden of caring for her family. Tomiko's father has been unable to find work for a long time, and her older sister is terminally ill—it is unlikely that she will ever recover. To feed her family, Tomiko runs around the city from morning until late at night selling flowers... The second novella (dir. Tadashi Imai) also depicts the lives of the poor. An unfamiliar girl brings young Kavano a letter from his mother. It turns out that the girl's name is Kuniko, she is very hardworking, but her family is dying of hunger. Therefore, her mother decided to send Kuniko to her son so that he would marry her. The short story is called "The Unexpected Bride." The third short story, which gave the film its title, is particularly interesting: "When You Love" (dir. Satsuo Yamamoto). It shows the family of a young peace activist.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Nobuko Otowa
Michie (segment 1)
Yoshiko Machida
Tamiko (segment 1)
Taketoshi Naitō
Kôno (segment 2)
Kyōko Kagawa
Kuniko (segment 2)
Isuzu Yamada
Yaeko (segment 3)
So Yamamura
Gorô (segment 3)
Taiji Tonoyama
Bartender (segment 1)
Fudeko Tanaka
Tamiko's mother (segment 1)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tadashi Imai
Writers: Yusaku Yamagata, Kaneto Shindō
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

71 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tadashi Imai, shot by Takeo Itō. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ikuma Dan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Nobuko Otowa and Yoshiko Machida and Taketoshi Naitō carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0186592 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tadashi Imai directs. Takeo Itō behind the camera. Ikuma Dan scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
271 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Tadashi Imai, shot by Takeo Itō. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Ikuma Dan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Nobuko Otowa and Yoshiko Machida and Taketoshi Naitō carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0186592 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.