• It is Ozu’s best narrative to date and Ryu’s enduringly stoic father here is the best performance I’ve seen in an Ozu film (and one of the better overall performances of the 40s)
  • Eloquently put by the new yorker-  “the weight of tradition and duty that crushes the individual spirit”
  • It is a lyrical work of grace
  • I adore Ozu’s pillow shots of the empty corridors—there’s a melancholic undertone in the everyday moments here- a connection and life not fully realized. It’s a slow burn but it wallops you in the end- tragic
  • Hallway row of umbrellas shot mirrors is hats at a funeral in Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family
  • An even row of students
  • Takeshi Sakamoto is great here in support of Ozu
  • Ozu shows the impending boat accident with a fantastically even shot of those boats sitting harmlessly on shore
  • Multiple shots of the father and son fishing together and casting in union—it’s simple—elegant—we get Ryu (and his son’s) quiet pain in this tale of a hardworking father and his sacrifice
  • Ozu’s cutaways are what I long for here even if this is his best narrative—the clothes on a laundry, the trains (Ozu adored them), the tea kettle
  • These are two complex characters—he’s had multiple tragedies—death of student, death of wife (not shown or covered really)—he’s living through his son in some ways
  • This is a candidate for neo-realism- war-time—he’s sucking out the melodrama
  • Gorgeous ending on a pillow shot of luggage and then on a train
  • Must-See film- top 5 of the year quality