I admire the hell out of this on every technical level. It's amazing how Ozu manages to be so expressive with such conservative technique. The reserved acting, brilliant compositions, and crafty editing are all very impressive. While I appreciate the poignancy of this film's simplicity, I can't say I was emotionally overwhelmed.

#11

Drawn from life above all, it's a quiet story that captures what it's like to live in a big family, at the point where everyone is settled in their independence and neglects their connections.

It is a tribute to the great power of director and co-writer Yasujirō Ozu that a 1953 black and white Japanese film has the power to make me laugh and cry. [Full Review]

Good film.

Slow, deliberate and without much of a plot, but I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. I'm still not sure what the point was, besides "children can be dicks", but it was a gorgeous peek into 1950's Japanese family life, with believable and interesting characters.

10

11

Simple but beautiful.

# 8

Another one of those highly praised movies that I don't see what is so great about them. It was quite hard for me to connect with the characters despite of great performances all around, probably because the cultural differences are so profound. Still gets a good score for its very real feeling and acting. A bit of a dissapointment considering the expectations, but worth a watch nonetheless.

I am very conflicted with this film. On one hand, I can understand the acclaim and hype, and I'd even call this film a sort of a masterpiece, with it's perfectly framed shots, complex characterization, and daring lack of melodrama. On the other hand, I find it restrained to the point of banality at times, to where I feel like I am just watching a boring family doing boring shit. Overall, a good film that some will love the hell out of, but I find merely interesting.

I couldn't stand the cinematography in this film, why does Ozu employ the same boring camera angle for the entirety of a scene ? Married with a hackneyed story I'm much too familiar with (one I was completely unaffected by), Ozu ventures into restrained storytelling, disclosing his faults as both a writer and director. I also never felt connected to any of the characters...that is until the end, but by then it was too late. Truly disappointing.

While I usually enjoy films that are more...bombastic, it was easy for me to become immersed in this one family's affairs. There are some good, reserved performances on display here. I think I only noticed the camera move once, but I was impressed by how much Ozu captures with such simple set-ups.

lonely, real and.. boring

Very interesting camera work, well-built characters, doesn't beat you over the head with its own storyline, etc. etc.

Ozu's camera may be static, but the editing is dynamic, sliding you along this beautiful story.

93.500