Floating Clouds12A

Directed by Mikio Naruse | Japan | 1955 | 2h 4m | Japanese w/ English subtitles | Starring Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Mariko Okada, Isao Yamagata, Chieko Nakakita

During the Second World War, a Japanese forester is sent to Indochina where he unexpectedly falls in love with a typist. When the war ends, they return to Tokyo and strive to maintain their affair despite the obstacles of society, personal ambitions, and their own insecurities. Adapted from a novel by celebrated author Fumiko Hayashi, Floating Clouds serves as a poignant depiction of Japan’s emotional turmoil in the aftermath of the war and stands as one of Mikio Naruse’s greatest cinematic achievements.

Reviews

‘Mikio Naruse slowly distances us from his lovers and their actions so that the film’s climactic progression of events hits us all the more fiercely.’ 
★★★★★
Keith Uhlich, Slant Magazine

‘Naruse’s greatness as a director–and he is the peer of Kurosawa, Ozu and Mizoguchi–comes from unobtrusive virtues. He is a master of construction, detail, editorial rhythm; of understated emotions and unsparing glimpses of life and people as they are.’ 
Michael Wilmington, LA Times

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Floating Clouds between November 5, 2023 and November 6, 2023.

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What else is on?

Today (Wednesday 29th November)

21:00

On the Adamant PG
1h 49m | French w/ English subtitles
Nicolas Philibert’s empathetic documentary set in a Parisian care centre for adults with mental health issues. Winner of the Golden Bear (Best Film) at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival.

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Tomorrow (Thursday 30th November)

12:30

Typist Artist Pirate King 12A
Parent + Baby Screening
1h 48m
Monica Dolan and Kelly Macdonald star in Carol Morley's (The Falling, Dreams of a Life) bittersweet drama based on the real-life of forgotten British artist Audrey Amiss.

Book here

16:00

Typist Artist Pirate King 12A
1h 48m
Monica Dolan and Kelly Macdonald star in Carol Morley's (The Falling, Dreams of a Life) bittersweet drama based on the real-life of forgotten British artist Audrey Amiss.

Book here

18:30

The Afterlight PG
+ Director Intro/Q&A
1h 22m
Existing as a sole 35mm print, Charlie Shackleton's otherworldly film essay assembles film clips from across space and time. One-off screening followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker.

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21:00

How to Have Sex 15
1h 31m
Three teenagers go to Crete on a rites-of-passage holiday full of boozing and clubbing in Molly Manning Walker's award-winning look at the joys and the horrors of a distinctly British youth culture.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!