"What do all these subtle modifications to the otherwise similar template suggest?" - Eric Henderson

Quiet. Subtle. Beautiful. Joyful. Heartbreaking. Ozu reveals the transformative change that comes as people age, marry, and move into new stages of life. Amid those significant shifts in life (like a marriage), so much stays the same. A man marries off his daughter; the house is the same, but it is forever changed. Ozu's editing has never been better than in the final sequence of this film, each cut more devastating than the previous, until the final long shot ends in emotional catharsis.

So uh yeah, this is really hardly anything like 35 Rhums is it? What it is like is every other Ozu movie ever. I can't think of any other director i admire more on a formal level without ever caring that much about the actual content.

Ozu's last film is a majestic story. As sensitive, beautiful, and rewarding as all of Ozu's best.

Even though I'm not a huge fan of Ozu, and each film I see seems just like the last, it's nevertheless pretty difficult to find any real fault with them. Everything proceeds in an orderly fashion, what with his incredibly rigid and precise shooting style. It won't be to everyone's taste, but at the very least it's hard not to like Chishu Ryu.

#315

All very much in the mold of past Ozu, but it's just so exceedingly well done; I can barely slight it. Dazzling color design.

396

# 372

It would be disingenuous of me to say that it's EXACTLY like the two Ozu films that precede it, but it's pretty damn close. And the one before it was itself rather repetitive. The only surprise here is the final moment, where a character bursts into tears... as if, after a career's worth of burying emotions under layers of restraint, Ozu was at last free to openly express something. And even though I'm tired of this particular plotline I can't honestly say I didn't enjoy this one on some levels.

292

solid melancholia

A visual treat for Ozu fans.

An Ozu film about inter generational differences, widowers, and daughters who need to be married. You'd think the formula would get tired but the execution is so wonderful, the balance between joy and sadness is expertly pulled off, that it doesn't matter that it's not original. Some interesting details are strewn throughout the film and ultimately it's just a very insightful look at human interaction and emotion.