Simple and incredibly understated but pretty poignant nonetheless. At times I felt underwhelmed but its best moments are very powerful, made more so by Ozu's lack of sentiment. It all comes together in the end to make for a very emotionally affecting experience. Ozu's compositions are second to none.

A deeply moving film. Wonderfully subtle and thematically rich - the fear of becoming a disappointment can be every bit as heavy on one's shoulders as the reality of experiencing disappointment, whilst similarly the film's look at parenting emphasises not just the parental side of things, looking at how your kids can get their own lives and you can become less essential to them, but also at the filial side of things with the kids yearning not to be tied down by their parents.

Poignant and perfectly restrained.

Simple but beautiful.

Flawless and beautiful.

Friggin' boring. Well, it had some nice things going, like some original compositions and framings but the dialogue (or the english translation of the dialogue, at least) was way too simple and undramatic to catch my attention. Call me unattentive but it took me a good while before I understood the theme and how the characters were related. So now that I've gotten so far I will probably like it much more on a second viewing. Problem is I can't see myself watching this again for the next 5 years.

A beautiful film filled with subtlety. Each character wears expressions not oft seen in film. Noriko (Setsuko Hara) is probably one of the most beautiful characters I've ever had the pleasure of seeing on screen. Her kindness and honesty brings tears to my eyes. Wonderful, wonderful film.

Ozu has the remarkable ability to capture a time and place in 1950's Tokyo with honesty, warmth, and clarity. The subdued emotions in Tokyo Story are not for people unfamiliar with Japanese culture but the remarkable facial expressions in this film say more than any dialog. Of particular note is Setsuko Hara who puts in a magnificent performance.

What could you possibly say about this movie. Stately and subdued. Formal, yet personal and intimate. Beautiful and depressing.

Masterpiece by one of the greatest directors. Setsuko Hara gives an astonishing performance as the self-sacrificing daughter-n-law, and she is just one element of an extraordinary ensemble cast. A great film about reverence for elders, duty and family, and how such values may be changing in a traditional society moving toward the modern.

11

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 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 it is restrained on a visual level, there's a lot of emotion buried under the surface. I enjoyed the framing of the shots and how often characters talk directly into the camera. I bet most people watching this will feel the need to drop by their parents, just to talk about things for a while, make sure everything is ok. I sure did.

The minimalist style of this movie at first was off putting (I counted only two brief moving-camera shots in the entire film), but as it progressed it started to impress me. But I still don't like the stilted way in which some of the conversations are shot. I know that was intentional, but sometimes it felt amateurish. Despite all that, by the end of this movie I was feeling some definite emotion. An understated, relatable, touching movie that I'd like to revisit in the future.

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.

Slow paced but good