Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Animenter There are women in the film, but none has anything you could call a personality.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

classicsoncall I don't know if it has to do with some of the translation into English, but some of the dialog in this film seems to me to be plainly offensive. For example, when the old woman Tomi Hirayama (Chieko Higashiyama) speaks to her daughter-in-law Noriko (Setsuko Hara), who's husband, the older woman's son, had died, she makes the remark "What a treat to sleep in my dead son's bed". What??!! I thought that was terribly insensitive.Or when the family members discuss the mother's passing, Shige (Haruko Sugimura) states that she wishes the old man had died first. She qualified her statement with a logical reason, but gee, that just sounded so awful bad, but in her case, Shige had already established that she wasn't very politically correct among her family members.And then there's the old man himself, Shukichi (Chishû Ryû), who attempts to convince his daughter-in-law Noriko to remarry. With seeming indifference to the death of his own son a year earlier, he says "Forget about Shoji, he's dead." Do you think Noriko had to be reminded of that depressing fact? I know this, a movie is getting to me when I have to get up and pace around the room in order to force myself to stay with it. I pretty much understand what the director was trying to achieve here by showing the indifference siblings can show toward their elderly parents. How they'd rather not be bothered unless there's something in it for them. And obviously I'm at a disadvantage by not knowing the Japanese culture and it's approach to the concept of dying. But this just didn't strike me as being the noteworthy film it's hailed to be with it's position in the IMDb rating system. Sometimes I find a second viewing of a film to help with my appreciation of the effort, but this one I'll be giving a pass.One final observation - what's the obsession with fanning one's self throughout the picture?

Jithin K Mohan The first half of the film reminded me of a lot of Malayalam family dramas but without too much melodrama. But then the characters and situations started to remind me of a lot of real-life people and situations. Tokyo Story was considered too Japanese by the distributors at the time but later it was rightfully proved it is a universally receivable film. Keeping the camera static and often not following the rules Ozu focuses on the emotions and wisdom without any gimmicks. Even when the characters do selfish things Ozu never judges them, they got enough reasons to behave as they do. Each character is brimming with life that it is impossible to come out of the film without being moved and even changed. There have been many attempts in creating a family drama more affecting, many which have a lot of themes in common but I believe none have reached this level.

thinbeach My title may sound like an oxymoron, yet I can think of no more fitting way to describe Tokyo Story. The weighted themes on death and the separation of children from parents, and the clearly fractured relationships between characters, are ripe for the screens of your next soap opera; yet it is handled so delicately, so subtly, that for a large portion many may complain there isn't drama enough.Parents take a long train journey to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their children are for the most part polite and accommodating, yet so busy with employment they are unable to spend any quality time together, and privately view their parents presence as a burden. The pace is unhurried, and to the detriment of entertainment, conversations are carried out with a realistic mundane-ness. As the selfishness behind the facade of mannered conversation is slowly revealed, this approach becomes a powerful tool to reflect on the sadder aspects of family relations. And where typical melodramas may rush to have characters verbalise their upset, and make a mockery of it in the process, Tokyo Story manages to reveal that upset in a manner largely unspoken, and far more evocative because of it. With the films title, and many location cutaways, the younger generations busyness and neglect of their elders in a large city may also be seen as a metaphor for modern life's alienation and neglect of values. They do not mean harm, but Tokyo Story shows its heart by being a melancholy display on what is lost.All things considered, Tokyo Story is an ode to cherish human relationships, and a critique on human frailty and modern life. It is a sad and touching film, but meanders very slowly, particularly at the beginning.

elvircorhodzic TOKYO STORY is a film that has a moderate tone, unobtrusive style and quiet family story. An elderly couple from the provinces coming to Tokyo to visit their grown children. The story shows how the children, preoccupied with their daily lives, do not show enough care for their parents, as opposed to the former daughter-whose husband died in the war. At first glance, everything in this film seems simple and clear, but on the other hand is a sensitive topic and family discord, somewhat generational conflict with fairly deep emotions without excessive melodrama.Staff are interesting, a little strange, however, show sincere emotion without many words. Of course, you need to understand Japanese culture, which I somehow fascinated. The story can be identified three generations of which is the oldest in a harmonious relationship. Although it can be concluded that it is not always the case. The younger do not have time for yourself and not for others.Most people do not live. Survive. Understanding and tranquility in fact represent the fund in relation to the sentiment and satire. People consciously or unconsciously influence the lives of others. People woven in one's life are there, even when they are not physically present.Setsuko Hara as Noriko Hirayama really is a beauty. She plays a woman who has all the prerequisites that clearly says "Life is disappointing", but again full of mercy, kept calm and beautiful smile that does not come off from the face. Well, sometimes that smile accompanies large tear.