The best Fujiko Yamamoto’s comedy movies

Later in his career, Ozu started becoming increasingly sympathetic with the younger generation, a shift that was cemented in Equinox Flower, his gorgeously detailed first color film, about an old-fashioned father and his newfangled daughter.

Agreeing to move out of his old apartment early to help out others, Ichiro shows up unexpectedly to move into his new place on Christmas Eve, a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. As he starts to unpack, he is beset upon by a series of salesmen at his door and as a result he is already not in the mood to make concessions when two strangely dressed and mannered visitors, Nana and Mel, arrive and insist that he and his possessions are in the way of their plans to hold a Christmas party they cannot re-schedule. In the ensuing see-saw battle over possession of the premises, the pair seems to have some unfair advantages. For instance, Ichiro finds it frustrating that only he seems to be able to see the odd pair. Whether or not Ghost Soup can be made and served hangs in the balance.

Kaze is a philandering TV producer. His wife and nine of his mistresses conspire to kill him. However each woman would rather keep him alive, as long as she was the only woman in his life.