This is an ongoing series in which I chronicle the films of the Criterion Collection that I watch. I will include a brief synopsis and my thoughts. I usually watch these films on Hulu Plus' Criterion Channel..... I am currently paid by neither...
The Kohayakawa family is under duress in this 1961 film by Japanese master of melodrama, Yasujiro Ozu. The family business, a sake brewery is having a hard time keeping up with larger competitors. This puts more pressure on the two unwed daughters, Akiko and Noriko to find suitors. And the rest of the family is growing more and more concerned with their man-child Father and his recent exploits with an old girlfriend.
I picked this film because of the fitting title for the season. Living in Phoenix, I think I was hoping that maybe by the magic of cinema, watching this film would somehow usher out the triple degrees temperatures this year. I also have been wanting to watch more Ozu films lately. I have only seen a few and they have all been great. This is one of the two most influential filmmakers in Japanese history and for good reason. His stories are typically small family dramas but they never have any trouble making the audience feel the full weight of the turmoil at hand. This film is no different. In fact, it is a shining example of the power of a small story in the hands of a talented and accomplished storyteller. The film handles three major plot lines that each revolve around a different member of the family, each with its own unique tone and conflict and each conflict integral to the fabric of the entire family. It manages to do all of this within the span of about an hour and forty minutes.
This story, like the others I've seen from Ozu, unfolds at its own pace. It never seems to lag or rush through
itself. It shifts from moments of solemn quietness to some scenes of outright silliness. The score is great, especially in some of the goofier moments showing the Father sneaking around town to engage in his affair. Ozu's signature camera work is on display here as well. He typically shoots interiors from a very low angle. This gives his films a look that is unique only to themselves. It also adds to the intimate feel of the relationships on screen.
With multiple layers of story structures going on here, Ozu brilliantly ends the film by pulling all the way out to show what the family looks like from the point of view of the unaffected onlookers. It's here that you realize the true power of Ozu's cinematic touch. He shows us how engrossing and important a story is to those involved, if only by contrasting this with how unimportant it is to those who aren't.
In more recent history, filmmakers like Charlie Kaufman have been showing us how we are all the lead in our own films in a meta-blend of literal and absurdist style. Ozu was doing the same thing many years before using only the poetry of melodrama.
Note: I usually embed a trailer for the film but I can't seem to find one so I decided to post this amazing thing instead
Enjoy.
