Rhapsody in August (Japanese: 八月の狂詩曲, Hepburn: Hachigatsu no rapusodī) is a 1991 Japanese drama film by Akira Kurosawa based on the novel Nabe no naka by Kiyoko Murata. Starring Sachiko Murase, Hidetaka Yoshioka, and Richard Gere, the story centers on an elderly hibakusha, who lost her husband in the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki, as she cares for her four grandchildren over the summer. She learns of a long-lost brother, Suzujiro, living in Hawaii who wants her to visit him before he dies. Thematic analyses of the film focus primarily on the concern of the nuclear bomb and its remembrance; examining how the use of silence and music have been used to express its horror. Additional focus has looked at the place of family and the role of nature in the film's imagery.

Produced by Shochiku and Kurosawa Production on a budget of $10,000,000 ($24.6 million in 2025), production finished quickly despite logistical problems surrounding Gere's schedule, and difficulty with shooting a train of ants. Initial previews of the film by foreign reporters were often negative in tone, and Kurosawa faced accusations of anti-Americanism; some felt the film did not properly contextualize the nuclear attacks by failing to mention Japanese aggression. Reporters were particularly upset with a scene where Gere's character appears to apologize for the nuclear attacks, whereas most scholarly readings tend to view the scene as a reconciliation among family members without any specific political meaning. Released in Japan on 25 May 1991 to mixed reviews, the film won several Japan Academy Film Prizes. Rhapsody had its Midwestern premiere in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where funds were raised to help donate an American sculpture to Nagasaki Peace Park.

Kane (an elderly hibakusha whose husband was killed in the atomic bombing of Nagasaki) has her grandchildren visiting her at her rural home in Kyūshū one summer while her children visit Kane's brother, Suzujiro, in Hawaii. The grandchildren receive a letter from their parents urging them to convince their grandmother to visit her brother in Hawaii, however, Kane can not recall Suzujiro's name or face. On a visit to Nagasaki, the grandchildren go to the spot where their grandfather was killed in 1945 and become more aware of their grandparents' experiences. They walk around the city to learn more about the event and visit Nagasaki Peace Park, whereupon they discover there is no monument from America to commemorate the civilian deaths. They return that evening and discuss the day's events. They criticize their parents' attitude towards their Hawaiian family while failing to consider Kane. Kane overhears them and tells them that she is not bitter, and states that she does not particularly like or dislike America. She tells her grandchildren about her siblings, including one who eloped with his employer's daughter to live in the forest.

The following day the elder two grandchildren visit the trees where Kane's brother lived, but return after feeling unsettled by the atmosphere. When they return they find Kane sitting in silence with an old friend, Kane explains that they both lost their husbands in the bombing and so do not need to exchange words to understand each other. The family send a telegram asking Suzujiro to confirm the names of his siblings so Kane can be sure of his identity. That evening, Kane tells the grandchildren about another brother who spent his time drawing pictures of eyes, which the children compare to the eye of a snake and Kane to the bomb's mushroom cloud. The American family confirm the siblings' names and Kane decides to go to Hawaii after a memorial service for the bomb victims on August 9. The parents return home, enamored with the wealth of their American cousins, but are upset that Kane had written to her relatives about the death of her husband at Nagasaki, feeling that it would create friction within the family. They receive a message telling them that Clark, Kane's nephew, will visit Nagasaki, which the family misinterpret as their cousins cutting them off. Clark travels to Japan and surprises them by wanting to apologize to Kane and visit the site of his uncle's death.

Clark visits the site and witnesses a local commemoration of the bombing. After Clark apologizes to Kane, the two reconcile. He joins Kane at a local temple for the memorial service of her husband's death. He and the grandchildren observe the Buddhist ceremony before they turn their attention to a train of ants climbing over a rose. While spending time with his family, Clark suddenly receives a telegram telling him that his father Suzujiro, Kane's brother, has died in Hawaii; he is forced to return there for his father's funeral. Kane feels regret that she did not make the decision to visit her brother sooner. Kane's mental health and memory begin to falter. She begins to show signs of odd behavior by laying out her husband's old clothing. When a storm strikes she tries to protect her grandchildren by covering them with sheets, which confuses her younger family members. As the storm intensifies again, Kane becomes more disoriented and mistakenly confuses the storm for the atmospheric disturbance caused by the bombing. In her disoriented state, Kane decides that she must save her husband from the impending atomic blast. She takes her small umbrella and walks into the storm to warn her husband, while her family chase after her.

Based on the novel Nabe no naka by Kiyoko Murata, Kurosawa read the book and started development on the film during the production of Dreams (1990). He wrote the screenplay by himself and made several changes to the original story. The novel focuses on the perspective of the grandmother who becomes increasingly unable to tell the difference between illusions and reality. Finishing the script in about fifteen days, Kurosawa decided to change the location of the story to the outskirts of Nagasaki, making the protagonist's deceased husband a victim of the atomic bomb dropped on the city in 1945. Filmmaker Ishiro Honda also made some uncredited contributions to the script. With a budget of $10,000,000 ($24.6 million in 2025), Rhapsody in August was produced by Kurosawa Production and financed by Shochiku and Feature Film Enterprise No. 2 (an investment partnership of at least eighteen companies, including Imagica and Hakuhodo). It marked Kurosawa's first film produced solely by Japanese studios since Dodes'ka-den (1970).

When she received the script for the film, Sachiko Murase was initially reluctant to accept, but was impressed by Kurosawa's understanding of the suffering inflicted by both sides of the Second World War and considered his attitude and direction to be compassionate and gentle. Despite harboring reservations about the difference between herself and the characterization of Kane, she did not ask to change the character's personality. Richard Gere was cast after Kurosawa asked if he was interested in the role of Clark at a party that celebrated Kurosawa's birthday and 1990 Academy Award. Kurosawa was struck by his interest in Asia and practice of Lamaism; when he was told about the role, Gere offered to act in the film for free but accepted the offer of a minor fee. Originally Gere had prosthetic eyes made to look half-Japanese, but Kurosawa decided on a simple makeup job. Gere practiced Japanese with a dialogue coach, and used a tape provided for him by a friend who was bilingual.

Location shooting in Nagasaki began on 22 August 1990. The film's climax at the elementary school with Richard Gere was filmed over three days from 24 August. That summer was especially hot, and Kurosawa filmed multiple retakes, but Gere's schedule made it difficult to finish early. Additions to the script were made during filming, and Kurosawa increased Gere's role, although the actor's contract was only for three weeks. Nearly 100 staff members travelled across Japan, causing logistical problems with accommodation and transportation as they were filming during the Obon holiday.