Director: Ozu Yasujiro
Country of origin: Japan
Year of release: 1953
Running time: 136'
Language: Japanese, with English subtitles
One of the masterpieces of world cinema, Tokyo Story follows the lives of an elderly couple, Shukichi and Tomi, after they set out from their small seaside hometown to visit their children and grandchildren in bustling postwar Tokyo. When they arrive, however, they are disappointed to find that the children, busy with their own families, jobs and lives, have little time to spend with them.
The children send their parents to a cheap spa resort, after which Tomi goes to stay with her war-widowed daughter-in-law, Noriko. Noriko is the only person who has taken a genuine interest in the elderly couple’s visit, and Tomi tries to convince her to get remarried. After Shukichi and Tomi decide to return home, Tomi falls seriously ill, and the neglectful children rush to be at her side.
Considered the greatest film by arguably the most visually distinctive director in film history, Tokyo Story is calmly understated, yet deeply moving. Though uniquely Japanese in its style, its profound meditations on life—in particular its exploration of how, with the passage of time, the different generations inevitably grow apart—make it a universal film, and a timeless one.
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