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Tokyo Story
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Tokyo Story

1953
Drama
2h 16m
An elderly couple journey to Tokyo to visit their children and are confronted by indifference, ingratitude and selfishness... (imdb)
Directed by:
Yasujiro Ozu Yasujiro Ozu
Written by:
Yasujiro Ozu Yasujiro Ozu Kôgo Noda Kôgo Noda
+1 more
Starring:
Kyôko Kagawa Kyôko Kagawa Haruko Sugimura Haruko Sugimura Chishû Ryû Chishû Ryû Chieko Higashiyama Chieko Higashiyama Setsuko Hara Setsuko Hara Sô Yamamura Sô Yamamura Kuniko Miyake Kuniko Miyake Eijirô Tôno Eijirô Tôno Nobuo Nakamura Nobuo Nakamura Teruko Nagaoka Shirô Ôsaka Hisao Toake
More
Franchise:
Noriko trilogy
Genre:
Drama
AKA:
Tokyo monogatari
Country:
Japan
Languages:
English, Japanese
imdb More information at IMDb
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Tokyo Story

1953
Drama
2h 16m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 78.12% from 2364 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

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martintellerMartinTeller
Rated 07 Feb 2007
85
84th
Ozu is just too bland for me. I appreciate that he doesn't bludgeon you with melodrama, but too much restraint isn't good either. I find his simple domestic tales poignant, but ultimately fleeting. The single-mindedness of his technique (or lack thereof) grows tedious.
Rated 07 Feb 2007
suture_selfSuture Self
Rated 26 Sep 2013
11
99th
While Tokyo Story's pivotal moment is the death of one person, the movie as a whole is about the death of a family, and towards the end of the film I felt two strong, conflicting emotions: 1) Emptiness, because of Ozu's elegant depiction of generational decay and loss; and 2) Exhilaration, because I was in the presence of great art.
Rated 26 Sep 2013
barthalenBarthalen
Rated 13 Sep 2011
82
86th
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.
Rated 13 Sep 2011
nathan_sNathan S
Rated 10 Nov 2009
5
93rd
Arguably the crowning achievement in Ozu's remarkable catalog of family portraits. For all the insensitivity these sons and daughters wreak upon their parents, the film is still affirming and humanist. It's not even without a bit of humor. Indeed, Ozu acknowledges that people will drift apart, and so it goes. Like all of his films, its gentle rhythm is fleeting but affectionate. And of course, Setsuko Hara is as kind and lovely as ever.
Rated 10 Nov 2009
joojooJooJoo
Rated 16 May 2008
6
95th
It's easy to report when something goes wrong, but the best of Ozu seems so far from anything describable. Beyond the [always discernible] flawless compositions, performances, & set designs - it's a feeling - something that comes over you and leaves you just as quickly.
Rated 16 May 2008
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 22 Feb 2008
91
95th
A really understated film that only really hits home after it's over. The film summary makes it sound like there's some big drama in the film, but it's just a glimpse at the reality of family relations. As the film progresses we see the characters all drift along, marching to their own beat and there are so many small things in the relationships that ring true. I can't quite say it wowed me, but I was certainly impressed.
Rated 22 Feb 2008
billkerwinbillkerwin
Rated 20 Dec 2009
100
99th
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.
Rated 20 Dec 2009
hawkinsHawkins
Rated 04 Jun 2016
83
77th
It feels like the placement and participation of the camera is conveying the state of the inter-generational relationships it so squarely frames - distant and inert. It never grabs, but lulls you into that world with metronomic mise-en-scène. The casting of 'resting bitchface' biological daughter against the doll-face daughter-in-law is the one bit of over-manipulation in this otherwise understated piece. The extreme ratings it receives are testament to its singular effect.
Rated 04 Jun 2016
moraesfelipemoraesfelipe
Rated 23 Nov 2013
94
97th
As Japan moves forward -- and Tokyo becomes a triumph of modern times --, tradition faces novelty with bitterness, joy and a melancholic sense of goodbye. Kids have subjects to study and toys to play with, adults have jobs to do, parties to attend, friends to meet -- and hopefully parents to take care of, talk to and love for a couple of hours. Curiously -- but logically --, the thing that gets the kids-turned-busy-adults reunited is the mother's death. Life, a permanent state of loneliness.
Rated 23 Nov 2013
alex_watkinsAlex Watkins
Rated 11 Jul 2010
5
91st
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.
Rated 11 Jul 2010
pickpocketPickpocket
Rated 23 Nov 2008
0
4th
I really believe the French New Wave is a direct response to films like this one. This film is the anti-FNW and as someone who loves that film movement, it's not hard to see why I didn't particularly enjoy this film. This film is incredibly boring. I mean, ridiculously, nauseatingly boring. I will never understand why this is so critically acclaimed.
Rated 23 Nov 2008
icarusIcarus
Rated 15 Mar 2009
96
97th
This only improves with multiple viewings as its themes of modernity vs. tradition and selfishness vs. a quiet concern for others seem to be woven into the very form and fabric of the film. Ozu always manages to find the poetry in the simple lives of his protagonists, and this is no different, with a beautiful collection of images that play off one another while they evoke the hope and pain of an ever-changing world.
Rated 15 Mar 2009
actionbergActionberg
Rated 14 Jun 2011
80
71st
This feels like another one of those movies where me being 23 years old hinders its message which seems to be about generational conflict and transition. It also doesn't help that I'm not intimately familiar with Japanese modernization and its social impact. The composition is beautiful, and there was a 20-30 minute period there that was pretty much perfect, making me well up at the masterfully natural expression of grief being shown. The music is its best quality.
Rated 14 Jun 2011
anomalyAnomaly
Rated 12 Jan 2017
80
75th
Almost too restrained, at first presenting repetitive actions with little emotional context. What saves it is that it's easily watchable and really immerses you in 1950s Japan. Once we get to the spa scene and the emotions begin to bubble just below the surface, things get good, and the ending does achieve some strong resonance.
Rated 12 Jan 2017
shalevshalev
Rated 28 Mar 2010
80
50th
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.
Rated 28 Mar 2010
jonnykungfujonnykungfu
Rated 22 Jul 2011
70
54th
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.
Rated 22 Jul 2011
woodoowoodoo
Rated 24 Feb 2010
90
82nd
What could you possibly say about this movie. Stately and subdued. Formal, yet personal and intimate. Beautiful and depressing.
Rated 24 Feb 2010
lady_moeLady Moe
Rated 05 Oct 2014
92
89th
A film that says so much by saying so little. It tells the story of the drifting of a family in the busy, modern world and does so without ever preaching. It doesn't have a scene where the aged parents scold their children and grandchildren that they do not spend enough time with each other. There is no dramatic monologue where a character laments that aging parents will be gone someday. All of these emotions are hidden in the characters, much like real people, and are told between the lines.
Rated 05 Oct 2014
dardandardan
Rated 03 Aug 2016
97
99th
[sp.] Tradition vs modernity, but more importantly on how each culture, as well as culture an sich, operates in the soul, in the individual, changing elements in it to a point of no longer making possible a connection between individuals necessary for its survival. The family didn't fall apart because of the loss of the mom - it's the reverse, and its movement is unstoppable.
Rated 03 Aug 2016
ecitizeneCitizen
Rated 21 Oct 2020
50
49th
The pace of this movie is very slow. And the major elements are entirely understated and subtle. The step-daughter (Setsuko Hara) was easily my favorite character. It is hard to not be reflective after watching this show as it touches upon the realities found in everyone's lives. Despite the slow pace and general lack of action, it makes an unexpectedly big impact. Worthwhile.
Rated 21 Oct 2020
xakkmasterXakkMaster
Rated 26 Mar 2021
88
83rd
Complaints about pacing or stiff acting are understandable, but they really serve to highlight the vital and dramatic moments of the story when characters break out of the rigidness. It's an important look at a tragic period of post-war adjustment in Japan, for both the economy and the family dynamic. Ultimately it made a connection because I ordered flowers for my mom and wrote a letter to my grandparents the day after watching it.
Rated 26 Mar 2021
hehejajahehejaja
Rated 11 Feb 2009
40
12th
It didn't even help with sake (what's the best temperature to preserve it in?) In all its tranquil banality, this film has some fantastic moments - there's some juicy, evocative landscape images here -, but as a whole this is just too fucking prosaic and poetry-less. Or, no - Ozu is an auteur. But his poetry, his "simple" poetry, where he reservedly observe the brutal banality of everyday life, doesn't work for me.
Rated 11 Feb 2009
eveeluneveelun
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
78th
The movie possesses a quaint simplicity in both style and theme; I enjoyed it and appreciated the richness of the characterization and leisurely development of the story, but at the same time it didn't really wow me.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
bofbof
Rated 15 Dec 2013
89
96th
"Isn't life disappointing?" (Big forced smile) "Yes. Nothing but disappointment."
Rated 15 Dec 2013
newphilipNewPhilip
Rated 07 Aug 2020
60
40th
The first act drags waaaay to long, but the second act in the hometown is both beautiful and gripping.
Rated 07 Aug 2020
kristianvKristianV
Rated 07 Jan 2011
95
99th
One of the most beautiful and honest films I've ever seen. "Isn't life disappointing?", "yes it is".
Rated 07 Jan 2011
susie_mauvesusie-mauve
Rated 29 Sep 2013
78
44th
I experienced the unexpected: to watch a still, boring capture of someone's life and get so heartwarmed. The story is so mundane that it makes it real real easy to relate to oneself. Cleverly made.
Rated 29 Sep 2013
overratedoverrated
Rated 30 Oct 2011
40
33rd
I don't see why this is supposed to be a masterpiece.
Rated 30 Oct 2011
sebbysebby
Rated 10 Jul 2011
50
27th
"What a treat to sleep in my dead son's bed." Lady, you crazy.
Rated 10 Jul 2011
theyshoot07theyshoot07
Rated 01 Mar 2008
100
99th
#9
Rated 01 Mar 2008
toddsaltertoddsalter
Rated 19 Feb 2018
90
70th
Nice reminder if your parents are still alive. And a reminder that modest people are often the most inspiring. Any movie that makes me a better person gets at least a 90. And the lady that played the kind daughter-in-law never married in real life. Check out her bio if you get a chance.
Rated 19 Feb 2018
yiannosYiannos
Rated 23 Sep 2016
80
92nd
Popular opinion regards Tokyo Story as Ozu's best film, but like Tokyo Twilight, it is overlong and full of scenes that are perhaps too pointed and overt in their meaning for their own good. Late Spring is his magnum opus in my eyes, but there is much to appreciate in Tokyo Story, from its formal elegance to its performances and the unique way Ozu was able to penetrate the surface of ordinary everyday life. Few directors explore generational conflicts and the problems of ageing as well as Ozu.
Rated 23 Sep 2016
ratedarghratedargh
Rated 20 Mar 2012
90
85th
It's quiet (maybe too quiet at times) but with reason. There are a lot of unspoken issues at the heart of the family at the centre of the film. Somewhere the dynamic shifted and the children have grown resentful of their parents. While specifics aren't readily available (except for father's former drinking) the damage was done. Of course, the surface suggestion is that the children simply grew into their own and no longer needed any kind of contact. While certainly they have their own lives, fam
Rated 20 Mar 2012
scorsesescotScorseseScot
Rated 30 Nov 2014
50
28th
Visually beautiful but with such a focus on the banal and such a calm tone that I lost focus as it went on (seemingly forever).
Rated 30 Nov 2014
djrossdjross
Rated 14 Aug 2007
93
99th
Subtle and affecting drama.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
nobletNoblet
Rated 07 Nov 2011
85
84th
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.
Rated 07 Nov 2011
antaresAntares
Rated 05 Aug 2011
65
40th
For me, Yasujiro Ozu is like film's version of Antonio Vivaldi. Vivaldi wrote over 400 concertos in his lifetime, and aside from "The Four Seasons", they all the sound the same. A bit of variation, but if you hear one concerto, you've heard them all. Ozu does the same thing with his films. A slight change in the narrative, but basically the same film, repeated over and over again. He's just not my cup of Japanese tea.
Rated 05 Aug 2011
stainStain
Rated 26 Mar 2007
0
8th
I totally don't get it. What is supposed to be so special about this movie?!
Rated 26 Mar 2007
chadarnookchadarnook
Rated 20 Sep 2020
77
46th
Full of beautiful shots, but a film so sterile some may mistake it as perfect.
Rated 20 Sep 2020
aflickeringAFlickering
Rated 02 Jun 2013
5
73rd
in an ozu film nothing is forced, and everything breathes.... an empty space will become lively for a time, before dying away again; characters will perform their everyday rituals and put on their everyday masks, and only close attention will reveal the fears and longings and disappointments fueling each of the small moments that make up their interactions.
Rated 02 Jun 2013
jimmy_suedeJimmy Suede
Rated 06 Jan 2018
85
85th
As is the case with films touted the best of all time, I never come away feeling like it was the best film of all time. But it was quite good. The story is conveyed in very meticulous cinematography. The story is heartfelt, but rarely overtly emotional. There is a lot of depth hidden behind smiling faces.
Rated 06 Jan 2018
bartbaardBartbaard
Rated 30 Jan 2020
67
59th
I enjoyed it more than expected, since I always have difficulties understanding Japanese culture. Hits some aspects of family life perfectly on the nose. Some really relatable moments concerning family members and loss. This Ozu film is the one that connected with me the most. This is a pretty good watch if you're not that into early Japanese cinema
Rated 30 Jan 2020
cinemaasiaCinema_Asia
Rated 04 Mar 2010
85
92nd
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.
Rated 04 Mar 2010
waddayanutswaddayanuts
Rated 27 Oct 2010
35
1st
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.
Rated 27 Oct 2010
vauthVauth
Rated 07 Apr 2013
95
98th
I think watching this film from an Asian perspectives allows one to relate and sympathise with the characters a whole lot greater because we have been brought up with the same familial and social values brought up in this film. It can get a little sentimental a times but damn, I could relate to this film too much, and certain characters remind me, painfully, of people I know in real life.
Rated 07 Apr 2013
anselmi86Anselmi86
Rated 03 Aug 2009
72
55th
It is absolutely beautiful, innovative and extremely well-crafted, but god help me if it isn't also mercilessly boring.
Rated 03 Aug 2009
magbMagb
Rated 18 Jan 2007
85
73rd
Hits emotionally like a sledgehammer. It certainly wasn't hard to guess what was going to happen, but it wasn't supposed to be hard either. For Ozu, the knowledge of what happens is entirely secondary to the actual experience of watching it happen. Or something.
Rated 18 Jan 2007
thedicemanTheDiceman
Rated 13 Jun 2008
65
73rd
Good film.
Rated 13 Jun 2008
trixrabbiTrixRabbi
Rated 10 Jul 2013
83
82nd
I love Ozu's directorial style. Every shot is carefully composed, each one could work as a still photograph and still tell the same story.
Rated 10 Jul 2013
tj_monsterTJ monster
Rated 10 May 2023
75
78th
the film was very book like in the fact i wouldnt stop watching, not gripping, not boring but subtly interesting. it shows great sadness throughout which can represent japanese culture as simply depressing. the parents want caring children who do there upmost for them yet at the same time they want mega succesfull children to brag about and be proud of, yet it is clear that it is only an illusion as theyd rather be with there children then to be left alone and to die alone
Rated 10 May 2023
xanianXanian
Rated 11 Mar 2016
100
99th
A gentle, murmuring storm that washed over me and left me breathless. This is cinema at its finest.
Rated 11 Mar 2016
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 09 Nov 2008
60
54th
The third and possibly most celebrated part of Ozu's Noriko trilogy, which I admittedly watched in reverse order but that doesn't seem too consequential plotwise. I found it overstretched, with some scenes more pointed than others. Nowhere near as great as it's made out to be.
Rated 09 Nov 2008
ribcageribcage
Rated 02 Oct 2020
94
96th
Ozu moves the story gently along, and of his longer films I’ve seen so far, Tokyo Story makes the best use of its over two-hour runtime. It becomes less like watching a movie. Ozu involves you so much that you become lost in the characters, you become fooled into thinking you might be visiting your own family. You have an indescribable innate sense of who these people are. There’s value in spending time with them, regardless of what the shared activity is – if there is any activity at all.
Rated 02 Oct 2020
bakcheiabakcheia
Rated 15 Feb 2014
100
98th
Ozu is a master of making the mundane undeniably profound and enriching.
Rated 15 Feb 2014
k177105k177105
Rated 27 Sep 2023
95
91st
About what care means between parents and grown-up children, between the ones that are approaching death and the ones that have to carry on living, and the possibility and difficulty of taking care. For Ozu, while some are more caring and others are less so, what matters is not praising the former and criticising the latter, but how they preserve their bond in their volatile struggles to live: this cosmic orientation gives every poetic scene a truly gentle, humane, and deeply melancholic touch.
Rated 27 Sep 2023
ieuandpIeuanDP
Rated 18 May 2016
85
85th
Initially thought the dialogue was really dull and prosaic, but as the film progresses, you realise it has a transparent social function; it conceals our true feelings when there's a painful distance between us. It's how Ozu progressively and subtly exposes this transparency that makes Tokyo Story so poignant - you learn to decipher the pain that lies beyond Noriko's smile and the grandparents' etiquette. The static camera and photography creates a unique sense of place too.
Rated 18 May 2016
willofgaiawillofgaia
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
43rd
Ultimately, this failed to leave any impression on me.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
andaghandagh
Rated 30 Jan 2009
100
97th
My favorite movie.
Rated 30 Jan 2009
graveyardtangraveyardtan
Rated 08 Feb 2009
95
93rd
Ozu displays a controlled pace that allows the film to evolve gracefully, telling a story of a new Japan, where the boundaries are blurred between private and public spheres, tradition and modernity, and nostalgia and regret. Each character is fully envisioned and the muted cinematography offers a sad, detached voyeurism into their quiet, domestic affairs.
Rated 08 Feb 2009
maakalmaakal
Rated 06 Jan 2012
85
90th
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.
Rated 06 Jan 2012
theyshootpicTheyshootpic
Rated 01 Mar 2008
100
99th
# 8
Rated 01 Mar 2008
sirrobbieSirRobbie
Rated 03 Nov 2010
80
81st
Simple but beautiful.
Rated 03 Nov 2010
damildamil
Rated 16 Aug 2012
75
81st
It was pretty slow-moving, and while there were some poignant scenes, they felt a little too few and far between. I found the characters pretty frustrating because they were so concerned with being polite. Despite this, they often actually came across as rude. Perhaps it's the cultural divide that made me think so though. I think it's a well-made film with a lovely, quiet sensibility to it, but I feel like I've been able to connect with similar films more.
Rated 16 Aug 2012
rufamRufam
Rated 02 Nov 2014
75
72nd
One of the barest films ever made, a laborious exercise in the mundane. Which can be both good and bad of course -good because the life-like pacing and morsels of emotion ring as true as anything in Japanese cinema and bad because (not unlike life, mind you) it can be bland and boring. Polished shot composition and set design are the only hints of cinematicness in a film that feels too small and unimportant at one moment and firmly grasps a (usually depressing) universal truth at the next.
Rated 02 Nov 2014
peterfernoldpeterfernold
Rated 13 Oct 2019
100
85th
Tokyo Story is widely considered both the best film of Yasujiro Ozu's long career and among the finest films ever made. This remains one of the most approachable and moving of all cinema's masterpieces.
Rated 13 Oct 2019
yesistastyyesistasty
Rated 22 Mar 2013
100
99th
Really can't think of a single flaw. Every choice of acting, mise en scene, camera placement, is exactly perfect for its purpose. As with any great film, Tokyo Story evocatively conveys the particulars of its setting, as well as the universality of its themes. If you have a family, you can relate to this film, even though the characters are very much of their time and place.
Rated 22 Mar 2013
glumpy99glumpy_99
Rated 05 Jun 2022
93
88th
“Isn’t life disappointing?” Indeed. As unrelentingly brutal in its way as the most extreme Bergman, but all contained within characters locked drum tight, Ozu spares his characters nothing, while never apportioning blame, instead studying the disappointment that emerges from the varying, sometimes heartless priorities that develop in different stages of life. This packs a real emotional wallop by the finale, though much of the catharsis reveals itself through painfully underplayed insinuation.
Rated 05 Jun 2022
chengmingchengming
Rated 09 May 2020
95
99th
I have to admit that I was annoyed in the beginning: why is that when I jump the axis, I get slapped, but when Ozu does so, he gets hailed a genius? But once I got over that, I fully enjoyed this film. It's a great document about Japan at a specific point in time, but at the same time so universal, so timeless. Despite unorthodox cuts and other formalism, it feels alive, feels very human; the grandparents felt like they were MY grandparents, despite having nothing in common with them.
Rated 09 May 2020
rushshirtrushshirt
Rated 30 Sep 2023
8
71st
After an almost unforgivably slow start, Tokyo Story's inter-generational crisis becomes quite engaging, taking some emotionally surprising turns before offering a quiet coda for reflection. As with all Ozu at this point, the filmmaking is flawless, and the performances are tastefully understated so as not to veer into melodrama.
Rated 30 Sep 2023
panzerwolfpanzerwolf
Rated 28 Jan 2024
90
96th
This is such a subdued story of people. I don't know why but I could have just watched grandma and grandpa going around Tokyo and doing their own stuff for a few hours, at least. There's just something soothing about the mood of this movie and even when there are some truly sad moments here, they serve to remind us to appreciate the people we love when they are still there. Life is short, so cherish the small moments, remember them, and hold them close.
Rated 28 Jan 2024
fredericg54frederic_g54
Rated 21 Jul 2023
4
13th
(2 viewing) As a camera operator and photography enthusiast, I’ve come to admire its visual language in the 13 years since I’ve last seen it, from its modest compositions to recurrent frame within a frame approach. Unfortunately, this photographic style doesn’t translate very well to 24fps, even less when coupled to an already sluggish pacing, making this one of most excruciatingly boring movies to sit through.
Rated 21 Jul 2023
neonmanNeonman
Rated 09 Jan 2021
82
70th
I didn't get as emotionally taken by this like I was meant to, maybe because I have a cold dead heart. Or maybe it's because the film treats itself too ascetically to work that way. Yet it still works in laying out this family story, carefully placing each line of dialogue and each shot within each scene and each moment, it all wonderfully adds together, not feeling off in the pacing at all. A lot of the cinematography is great, and the music is tremendous.
Rated 09 Jan 2021
oaicoaic
Rated 11 Sep 2013
55
25th
The only one of these Ozu movies I sort-of like. I guess I'm too culturally uninformed, or maybe I just have a bad attention span but I just don't get the appeal, normally. This one is actually a very very touching dramas, but I don't find very very sad and touching to be really entertaining. I kind of like watching movies to relax after work, you know?
Rated 11 Sep 2013
salomaordsalomaord
Rated 02 Jan 2015
50
0th
Yasujiro Ozu #2
Rated 02 Jan 2015
wetwillieswetwillies
Rated 13 Jan 2015
90
80th
Viewed January 12, 2015. One of the most simple and devastating films I have ever seen in my life. Shook me to my very core. Ozu is a master.
Rated 13 Jan 2015
jpotiijpotII
Rated 10 Jun 2019
57
46th
Libra
Rated 10 Jun 2019
kavuKavu
Rated 07 Jun 2016
90
94th
The message about respecting your parents is extremely japanese, but hits home in western cultures too. Beautiful direction.
Rated 07 Jun 2016
criteenqueCriteenque
Rated 20 May 2012
40
95th
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.
Rated 20 May 2012
gumbogumbo
Rated 29 Jan 2014
95
94th
great
Rated 29 Jan 2014
nepetaNepeta
Rated 10 Jan 2013
95
96th
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.
Rated 10 Jan 2013
backwardsuitbackwardsuit
Rated 12 Mar 2015
84
89th
The single-mindedly reflective tranquility of Ozu's worlds makes his works both richly engaging and slightly alienating. I appreciate and enjoy their quiet philosophical outlook immensely but also find them paradoxically fantastical in their depictions of relationships & society (both of which seem to me more hectic and bodily in nature). That shouldn't matter though since he has perfected a truly sublime cinematic style that allows for a placid examination of layer of deep sentimentality.
Rated 12 Mar 2015
hotsakehotsake
Rated 11 Jun 2019
85
96th
Simple, beautiful, elegant. This was is pure cinema at its best. The acting is incredible, the framing of shots and editing are perfect, the pacing was amazing and fluid. The story felt realistic without being overly dramatic. The more I think of this movie the better it gets.
Rated 11 Jun 2019
penchupenchu
Rated 23 Jul 2009
60
25th
lonely, real and.. boring
Rated 23 Jul 2009
ttoshittoshi
Rated 05 Feb 2012
57
63rd
The leisurely pacing of the movie allows you to get into the flow of the lives of postwar Japan in Tokyo.
Rated 05 Feb 2012
lexlex
Rated 22 Feb 2015
95
91st
An amazingly natural portrayal of life. Emotional without being sentimental, and Ozu's style is just completely effective.
Rated 22 Feb 2015
farzanFarzan
Rated 09 Jun 2014
90
89th
With a very intimate look into different generations; Ozu manages to keep his camera still and shows very simply the issues of familial life. Tokyo Story is an extremely beautiful and yet mundane picture. We the viewer are left with an extremely linear narrative and simple, intimate camerawork which envelops us in emotional bonds with the characters. This forces us to take in what Ozu explicitly wants to show us, and it is effective. This heartbreaking story is one of reflection and imputation.
Rated 09 Jun 2014
sylviesylvie
Rated 31 Dec 2023
88
87th
who am I to rate this masterpiece? only doing so, so that I can add to criticker.
Rated 31 Dec 2023
sourheartsourheart
Rated 18 Apr 2018
5
95th
Made me cry several times
Rated 18 Apr 2018
talibanTaliban
Rated 23 Jan 2011
25
31st
snorzu
Rated 23 Jan 2011
ceekay19Ceekay19
Rated 21 Mar 2018
50
10th
Kyoko: "Isn't life disappointing?"
Rated 21 Mar 2018
theyshoot08theyshoot08
Rated 19 Dec 2008
100
99th
10
Rated 19 Dec 2008
brrrpbrrrp
Rated 19 Feb 2024
75
76th
The significance of this film emanates from it as a diffuse glow, as opposed to a focused beam or sledgehammer. Everything feels quiet, simple, natural, and real. I particularly enjoyed all the architectural and infrastructural shots.
Rated 19 Feb 2024
timon88Timon88
Rated 12 Nov 2023
92
97th
Lovely and touching. Though I admittedly know next to nothing about the dynamics of Japanese relationships and family, it seems to me the description here isn't quite right. Yes, they couple goes to Tokyo, but it's more that more modern times have changed how families function--they're almost relics from another era. Ozu is, as always, at his best in the quiet moments of everyday interactions and conversations.
Rated 12 Nov 2023
seryxaSeryxa
Rated 04 Dec 2009
100
93rd
Bleak, austere and moving family drama of life's disappointments.
Rated 04 Dec 2009
greygwardargreygwardar
Rated 18 Apr 2024
100
96th
tonydaltonydal
Rated 25 Sep 2007
40
11th
Often hokey and like a tableau. Some sort of No or kabuki thing--like they weren't really acting. Anyway, it didn't come across to me.
Rated 25 Sep 2007
mattorama12mattorama12
Rated 05 Nov 2012
43
9th
I don't quite understand the acclaim. I think it's emotionally flat throughout most of the movie, save for the last 15 minutes. Those last 15 minutes were really great, though. I get that part of the story is about being emotionally subdued, but it just didn't do it for me. And please just move the camera for once. It reminded me of when they try to get cute at basketball games and film from midcourt at ground level.
Rated 05 Nov 2012
shellishShellish
Rated 26 Sep 2013
95
98th
Masterfully executed cinema.
Rated 26 Sep 2013
c4e5g3d5c4e5g3d5
Rated 10 Aug 2020
100
97th
Peak Ozu, closely followed by An Autumn Afternoon. Borderline perfection, and you will appreciate your parents more after watching this movie.
Rated 10 Aug 2020
synthonosynthono
Rated 13 Oct 2012
90
92nd
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.
Rated 13 Oct 2012

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