Cinebibliophile.com

Review by Steven Ryniak

“Tokyo Story” (1953, Japanese)

Director: Yasujiro Ozu

This is one of those movies that kind of grows on you after you watch it and falls into the “moves along slow but worth the journey” category. The plot is very simple and follows retired couple Shukishi and his wife Tomi as they visit their adult children in Tokyo. Once there, they realize their kids don’t really have that much time for them and are very busy in their own hectic lives. The movie gives you a good snapshot of what 1950’s Japanese culture was (presumedly) like – the pachinko and mahjong, the sake and of course tea and sushi, the lack of furniture, the sliding doors, etc.

The film has a lot of truisms and astute observations about family relationships (especially parents and children, and siblings) and growing up, with one of the father’s friends bemoaning that their children “lack spirit and ambition” and “have no backbone” nowadays. Another mentions that “children don’t live up to their parents’ expectations.” The movie has a very laid-back style, and the father Shukishi is extremely amiable and good-natured and (along with Tomi) really carries the movie, in my opinion.

One of the main themes of this beautifully shot minimalist / realist movie is that no matter what happens in life, you have to accept it and keep living, keep moving on and going forward, the survivors survive, the young grow up. The movie may seem slow-paced and laggardly at times, but by the time you make it to the end, it is well worth the wait.

Favorite scene:  Kyoko: “Isn’t life disappointing?” Noriko: “Yes, it is.”

***** (Five Stars out of Five)