I've seen quite a few films by Yasujiro Ozu and this might just be the slowest movie of the bunch. As a result, you might get tempted to turn it off after a while--especially because the plot really isn't even hinted at until a lot of seemingly irrelevant stuff has happened. However, if you are able to keep watching, you'll be amply rewarded. Just understand first that much of what happens is very depressing--this is NOT a "feel good" Ozu film!! The story is about a man (Chishu Ryu--a guy who was in almost every Ozu film ever made) and his grown daughters. I daughter has recently taken her child and left her husband. Exactly why she dislikes him really is never discussed. The other daughter is younger and wilder. She has a secret and for much of the film you have no idea why she is trying to borrow money and comes home so late.
Much later in the film, you discover that there is a lot more to this family--much, much more. Their mother apparently abandoned the family many years ago and is now trying to re-establish contact with her kids. A brother was apparently killed years earlier. And, the youngest is pregnant and contemplating having an abortion! From the introduction of all these plot points, things get even worse--leading to a very, very sad conclusion to the film.
While this is anything but fun to watch, the movie is constructed so well and the characters are quite interesting. Like a typical Ozu film, they are normal folks--neither rich nor poor--just common people. But here, at least, their problems are far from common. Also, like any Ozu film, you have the low mounted camera that does not move with the action, but switches camera shots instead (as needed). This makes for a somewhat disconnected film in some ways--like you are a fly on the wall because there are no zoom shots either. You just look across the room at the players.
Overall, well worth watching but I advise making a pot of tea or coffee to drink along with the film--it will help you stay awake. This is not a criticism--just a fact about the very deliberate pacing of the film.
Much later in the film, you discover that there is a lot more to this family--much, much more. Their mother apparently abandoned the family many years ago and is now trying to re-establish contact with her kids. A brother was apparently killed years earlier. And, the youngest is pregnant and contemplating having an abortion! From the introduction of all these plot points, things get even worse--leading to a very, very sad conclusion to the film.
While this is anything but fun to watch, the movie is constructed so well and the characters are quite interesting. Like a typical Ozu film, they are normal folks--neither rich nor poor--just common people. But here, at least, their problems are far from common. Also, like any Ozu film, you have the low mounted camera that does not move with the action, but switches camera shots instead (as needed). This makes for a somewhat disconnected film in some ways--like you are a fly on the wall because there are no zoom shots either. You just look across the room at the players.
Overall, well worth watching but I advise making a pot of tea or coffee to drink along with the film--it will help you stay awake. This is not a criticism--just a fact about the very deliberate pacing of the film.