I would recommend Late Spring to everyone capable of empathy, even those of us sorely tested by the stately progress of Ozu's supposed magnum opus, Tokyo Story (1953). The latter also features Setsuko Hara as Noriko and also Chishû Ryû, but in addition to being notably swifter, Late Spring focuses its attention more on the unmarried Noriko, rather than on the saintly but dull old couple visiting Tokyo. Noriko 'should' be married by now, according to various elders, but all she wants is to stay with her dad. If it is only human nature to want to marry and procreate, it's only human nature to interfere in the lives of others.
One or two comical elements aside - some of the music is corny and the significance of the Noh play will be lost on most westerners - Late Spring is occasionally funny but often painfully sad, more overtly emotional than Tokyo Story's narrative of disappointment. One might be tempted to sneer at Noriko's sunny disposition, but when they start to pester her the smile vanishes: the effect is shocking. Ozu has the gift of making one remember how to appreciate human emotions rather than dismiss them as a loss of composure.
Anyway, it is a portrait of a vanished world, one whose restraint makes Jane Austen costume dramas look downright licentious. Fascinating and haunting viewing.