Madadayo (1993)

In postwar Tokyo, beloved writer-professor Hyakken Uchida retires and is buoyed through hardship by the fierce devotion of his former students, who honor him each year with a raucous “Not yet!” birthday toast. Told in warm, gently comic vignettes, Kurosawa’s farewell celebrates aging, friendship, and the sustaining ritual of teacher and pupils refusing to say goodbye.

Genres: Drama, Comedy

What to watch after Madadayo

• Rhapsody in August (1991) — Akira Kurosawa directed both
• The Idiot (1951) — Same subject: post war japan
• Dodes'ka-den (1970) — Akira Kurosawa directed both
• After Life (1998)
• Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)
• Tokyo Story (1953) — Same feel: reflective, emotional