In this 1941 classic, we've seen the ever-existing traditional Japanese male chauvinism. All the men in this film never had to do anything, all the chores were done by the females, no matter they were grandmother, mother or daughter. The men just acted like spoiled kids, asking the women around them to fetch everything they needed. The women had to take back all the heavy chairs after a photo shooting. Men asked his wife to fetch his pants, husband asked his wife to bring a glass of water, make a phone call. All the men were like studs who only took the responsibilities to give sperms to their wives, making them pregnant, making them to be the fathers. They were bread makers. Once they were home after works, they just sat down and gave orders to the females at home to serve them. And the women also took for granted like maids, following all the orders given by their men. We've seen all the Japanese films from black and white since 1020 up to date in 2022, the 21st Century. We saw old Kiki Kirin doing all the chores at home while her son or daughter just sat around, didn't even bother to help her a little bit in all of her later films. I've never seen any male character in any Japanese film helping the females. The male chauvinism is just so astoundingly disgusting in every Japanese film.

Although we have here a movie dated 1941 and whose action takes probably place in late thirties of last century, surely a Japanese viewer watches this movie from a somewhat different viewpoint of a western viewer. While to the former every behaviour, dialogue, situation and usages shown appear quite normal and he will fix his attention only to the properly so called filmic aspects the latter will, beyond these aspects, be impressed by the on his view uncommon ones. We are nevertheless before a movie that shows something that is common to any culture: the family conflicts. Which in such a case are produced by the death of the old father and the consequent removal of the widowed mother accompanied by her single daughter to the homes (by turn) of a married son and a married daughter who live well off in Tokyo. She is not at her ease there being a snag somehow mainly to her daughter-in- law. There is also a single son who emigrated to China but shows consideration, respect and affection for his mother which leads him to disapprove and scold his other siblings' behaviour when once he comes back. He finishes by proposing his mother and single sister to take then to China with him. Everything is shown in the movie through natural images, scenes and dialogues full of authenticity and sensitiveness which is stressed by the gentle and restrained behaviour of the characters (with the usual constant smiles and bows of the Japanese) in scenes that are never dramatic but not less revealing of thoughts and sentiments. Yasujiro Ozu shows himself once more as a master in what concerns movies dealing with family relations and way of living.

Maybe it's not a film regarded as one of Ozu's best, but I found myself liking it.

This time Ozu delves into the problems that revolve around the death of a family member and what it causes. In this case the father of a big family dies and leaves them indebted, so the family makes the hard decision to sell many of his properties to pay his debts. The other matter shown in this film is the problem a family member faces (in this case the mother and one of her daughters) when they have to ask their relatives for hospitality but they don't have a good relationship between them and have a lot of differences, which causes the mother and the daughter to switch from one place to another and never finding a good place to stay in.

The film is really good on technical aspects, as usual in Ozu's films.

I would not recommend this film to people that are just beginning to explore Ozu's films, I would just recommend it to those who really are fond of them and are used to his filmmaking style.

My score: 8.5/10