Over the Threshold (1989): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1989, Over the Threshold is a notable film directed by Yoshiharu Tezuka, running about 60 minutes.

What it’s about. Over the Threshold is about intermarriage between Japanese and Westerners. The filmmakers are a husband and wife team who met during their studies at Britain's National Film & TV School in London. The film documents their first visit to Japan together, during which husband Tezuka introduces his non-Japanese wife to his family (his father coincidentally was the creator of the cartoon series Astro Boy). The point-of-view is largely that of the 'outsider', and much of the film is devoted to her attempts to find out what it means to 'fit in' in Japan. At a deeper level, the film amounts to a socio-cultural study of a Japanese family, who seem to adapt surprisingly well to having a 'geijan' or foreigner in their midst. This aspect is strengthened by the incorporation of interviews with other Western women who have married Japanese husbands.

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