Leo McCarey’s domestic drama about modern life’s strains on the family unit is best known for inspiring Yasujiro Ozu’s 1953 masterpiece TOYKO STORY, but chomps at a timeless, culture-transcending shame with considerably sharper teeth.

Retired married couple Barkley (Victor Moore) and Lucy (Beulah Bondi) struggle through the Great Depression, losing their home to foreclosure. Their five grown children have their own financial problems, and although son George (Thomas Mitchell) and daughter Nellie (Minna Gombell) can each board one of their parents, none of the children can afford to house them both.

About Bleak Week: Presented in partnership with American Cinematheque, ‘Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair’ is an annual film festival showcasing some of the greatest works of cinema from across the globe that venture into the darkest sides of humanity and the bleakest points in human history. The fifth annual edition in June 2026 expands to nearly 100 theaters across the U.S., Canada, U.K. and South and Central America, with each venue presenting its own original curated lineup of uncompromising films defined by unpleasant truths and raw empathy.

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