Tokyo Story
Classic drama about the estrangement between grandparents living in the countryside and their urban children and grandchildren in Tokyo. Often cited as the best film of all time.
TOKYO STORY gives us a look at the social norms in post-war Tokyo. An elderly couple visit their adult children in the bustling city of Tokyo, but to their silent anger find themselves confronted with a generational conflict. The children appear to be so busy with themselves and their lives that they have no time for their parents. Only the widow of a son who died in the war is kind to the elders.
Ozu explores the complex parent-child relationship in his usual delicate way. Through his controlled style, his calm and serenity, Ozu elevates this melodrama to an intensely moving meditation on the inevitable disappearance of traditions and values and the fleeting nature of human existence.