Appassionata (1984): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1984, Appassionata is a drama film directed by Sadao Nakajima, running about 145 minutes.

What it’s about. This story is based on the novel "Jo no mai" by Tomiko Miyao which is based on the life of painter Shōen Uemura (1875–1949), the first woman to be awarded the Order of Culture. The title refers to the masterpiece bijinga ("picture of a beautiful woman") that Uemura painted at the age of 61. The main character, Tsuya Shimamura, is born in Kyoto as the second daughter of a tea trader who dies before her birth. Tsuya, who loves painting more than anything and is hopeless at housework, attends art school and at age 15 receives the name Shōsui (from the characters for "pine" and "green") from her teacher. The crown prince of England purchases one of her works, propelling her to fame overnight. The novel portrays the remainder of her stormy life, during which she is impregnated by her teacher and raises a fatherless child; through it all she devotes herself to her painting, undaunted.

Who’s in it. Appassionata stars Yûko Natori as Tsuya Shimamura, Morio Kazama, Kunihiko Mitamura and Aki Mizusawa as Shima Shimamura, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.0/10, Appassionata has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Appassionata page.

If you liked it. Fans of Appassionata tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.