One of Mikio Naruse's earliest surviving silent films, Apart From You is a fable in support of filial devotion. An aging geisha, Kikue (Mitsuko Yoshikawa), is trying to raise a teenage son, Yoshio (Akio Isono), but he has become ashamed of his mother's profession. When she discovers that Yoshio has been cutting school and has joined a gang, her friend and fellow geisha, the pretty young Terugiku (Sumiko Mizukubo), tries to help Kikue by showing Yoshio what her own dysfunctional family is like. The contrast with his own self-sacrificing parent inspires him to give up his adolescent rebellion. Though the film teeters on the edge of sentimentality, it's saved by the complexity of the characters, the performances of the actors, and the fluidity of the direction and camerawork.