• I think it’s 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 40’s)
  • 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