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Rhapsody in August

Rhapsody in August

Drama · 1991

An elderly Nagasaki hibakusha spends a summer caring for her four grandchildren, whose curiosity about the 1945 bombing stirs buried memories and moral questions. When an American nephew from Hawaii visits, the family confronts grief, guilt, and the possibility of reconciliation across generations.

Movie details

Rhapsody in August

“Tears. Laughter. Innocence. It was a summer of remembering.”

1991 Drama 1h 38m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

An elderly Nagasaki hibakusha spends a summer caring for her four grandchildren, whose curiosity about the 1945 bombing stirs buried memories and moral questions. When an American nephew from Hawaii visits, the family confronts grief, guilt, and the possibility of reconciliation across generations.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Rhapsody in August?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Akira Kurosawa

Written by

Akira Kurosawa · Ishirō Honda

Sachiko Murase

Sachiko Murase

Kane (The Grandmother)

Hidetaka Yoshioka

Hidetaka Yoshioka

Tateo

Tomoko Otakara

Tomoko Otakara

Tami

M

Mieko Suzuki

Minako

Mitsunori Isaki

Mitsunori Isaki

Shinjiro

Hisashi Igawa

Hisashi Igawa

Tadao

Toshie Negishi

Toshie Negishi

Kane's daughter

Court is in session

Put Rhapsody in August on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.