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Tokyo Story streaming

Original title: 東京物語
1953 Movie Japan Drama 137 min Ages 12+
By: Yasujirô Ozu, Yasujirō Ozu With: Chieko Higashiyama, Chishû Ryû, Sô Yamamura

Elderly couple Shukishi and Tomi Hirayama live in the small coastal village of Onomichi, Japan with their youngest daughter, schoolteacher Kyoko Hirayama. Their other three surviving adult children, who they have not seen in quite some time, live either in Tokyo or Osaka. As such, Shukishi and Tomi make the unilateral decision to have an extended visit in Tokyo with their children, pediatrician Koichi Hirayama and beautician Shige Kaneko, and their respective families (which includes two grandchildren). In transit, they make an unexpected stop in Osaka and stay with their other son, Keiso Hirayama. All of their children treat the visit more as an obligation than a want, each trying to figure out what to do with their parents while they continue on with their own daily lives. At one point, they even decide to ship their parents off to an inexpensive resort at Atami Hot Springs rather than spend time with them. The only offspring who makes a concerted effort on this trip is Noriko Hirayama, their widowed daughter-in-law, whose husband, Shoji Hirayama, was killed eight years earlier in the war. Following the vacation, each child comes to some conclusion of their general behavior toward their parents, not only on this trip but throughout their entire adult lives. For some, this realization may come too late.

Filmium rating
81%

Festival Achievements

Festival de Cannes 2018
Selections:
Cannes Classics
Berlin International Film Festival 2013
Selections:
Berlinale Classics 2013
Berlin International Film Festival 2003
Selections:
Gala 2003

Mood

Emotional
Melancholic
Reflective
Sad

Cast & Crew

Yasujirō Ozu
Yasujirô Ozu
Kôgo Noda
Chieko Higashiyama
Sô Yamamura
Chishû Ryû
Chishū Ryū (Actor)
Kōgo Noda (Writer)
Small Stream
Yasujirō Ozu (Director)
Yūharu Atsuta (Cinematographer)

Adaptation

Loosely Based On Make Way For Tomorrow

Cinematic Technique

180-Degree Rule
Low Camera Height
Low-Angle Shots
Minimalist Framing
Stationary Camera

Film Movements

Japanese Cinema
Slice Of Life

Narrative Structure

Dialogue-Based Revelations
Off-Screen Events

Pace

Deliberate
Measured
Slow
Slow Pacing

Soundtrack

Diegetic Sound

Style

Cinematic
Low-Angle Cinematography
Minimalism
Minimalist
Slow-Paced

Time-Period

1950S Japan

Central Conflict

Generational Differences
Loneliness
Parent-Child Disconnect

Characters

Elderly Couple
Grown Children
Widowed Daughter-In-Law

Ending

Acceptance
Bittersweet
Solitude

Historical Context

Post-World War Ii Japan
Traditional Family Values
Westernization

Key Plot Points

Tomi'S Death
Tomi'S Illness
Visit To Tokyo

Plot

Elderly Couple'S Journey
Emotional Distance
Family Dynamics
Family Relationships
Intergenerational Conflict
Post-War Japan

Setting

Hot Spring
Onomichi
Post-War Japan
Rural Onomichi
Tokyo
Urban Tokyo

Shooting Location

Hot Spring
Kamakura
Onomichi
Tokyo

Theme

Cultural Disconnection
Family Disconnection
Family Dynamics
Impermanence
Loneliness
Loss And Grief
Modernization Vs Tradition

Genre

Art House
Drama
Family
Family Drama
Slice Of Life

Audiences

Adults
Art House Audiences
Art-House Viewers
Film Enthusiasts

Titles

Cuentos de Tokyo
Tokijska opowiesc
Tokyo Monogatari - Reise nach Tokyo
Tokyo Story
Tôkyô monogatari
Voyage à Tokyo
Токийска история
Токійська повість
东京故事
東京物語
동경 이야기

Awards

Best Supporting Actress (Sugimura)
Sutherland Trophy 1958

Box Office Success

Japan'S 8Th Highest-Grossing 1953

Critical Reception

100% Rotten Tomatoes
Metacritic 100
Top-Ranked Film

Festivals

London 1957
New York 1972

Popularity

Consistently Ranked In Greatest Films Lists

Ratings

100/100 Metacritic
9.6/10 Rotten Tomatoes

Reception

Awards
Critical Acclaim
Critically Acclaimed
Film Festivals
Influence
International Recognition

Production Countries

Japan

Release Year

1953
mowizz ID: 8e16cdf5-d1f1-4b94-bc72-1d346e46af76
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