Yasujirō Ozu directs Chishū Ryū, Shima Iwashita and Keiji Sada in this classic Japanese drama where the patriarch of the Hirayama family eventually realises that he has a duty to arrange a marriage for his daughter.

Unpopulated establishing shots, expansive cast of memorable characters. Low angle framing, clean Technicolor pop and a never-moving camera. People say this is a masterpiece of humanism. The roots of loneliness and the shift in Japanese society quietly explored. I just see a nice gentle man who absolutely lives for the sesh. So much boozing. No misbehaviour What a lad. My people.

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Perfect Double Bill: Tokyo Story (1953)

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