Tokyo kazoku

Again a charming movie from Yamada. Maybe his most challenging one in the sense that there is no plot. Isn't that the core of drama: a study of a family in the context of their daily lives, without any plot whatsoever. the first fifteen minutes aren't the best: unfortunately, it has a bit of a sitcom-shade over it because the actors don't have the charisma of grasping the audience at once - until the entrance of Shoji, who caries the story. really good camerawork and settingdesign too.

An almost perfect remake of the original Tokyo Story (1953) with improvising updates in which the modern generation can relate to, such as the omittance of WW2 elements and the image of modern japanese women perceived by senior citizens. As expected, many tatami shots are presented throughout the film to relive the unique cinematography by Yasujiro Ozu. The only disappointment I have in this film is the lack of pillow shots with great emotional depth from the original.