SincereFinest disgusting, overrated, pointless

Twilightfa Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

851222 Greetings from Lithuania."Tokyo Story" (1953) is an ageless story about family, love and realizing of true values in life. This is a sad but at the same time inspiring story - but enough about stories - this movie shows life as it is - still. I loved the performances in this movie by simply everyone involved, as well as great directing and amazing writing. Although the movie is 2 h 15 min long and its a black and white "old" movie don't be fooled - this is a great movie that makes you think about your life and especially the people you love and that you have to love them while their are still here with you, because life is very short and better make most of it with the people you love. Great movie.

TheNabOwnzz Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story is one of the all time favorites chosen by fellow directors, and it is easy to see why. It does not have a spectacular story, and instead it focuses on being relatable in a way that can literally be compared to average people from everywhere. The most important aspect i think that Ozu has done to create this emotional piece of art that lives and breathes is the fact that he creates such an immersion to the story that you feel like you are an actual part of it. He seemingly creates this immersion by using a lot of extremely low camera angles which are apparantly called 'tatami-shots', in which it seems as though the viewer is sitting on a mat right next to our characters ( Or, shall we say, in the next room as Ozu also has a habit of having these kind of shots positioned in another room so that we can still have a clear overview of our characters. ). Furthermore, we notice a lot of shot reverse-shot techniques in which it looks as though the characters are speaking to the camera, which also increases immersion as this is a beautiful way by Ozu of making clear they are speaking to the audience too. These pure filmmaking techniques by Ozu is a perfect way to increase the immersion in his world, and it works perfectly.The acting performances are all very good, but especially Noriko ( Setsuko Hara ) gives off an exceptional performance as the outwardly cheerful yet innerly quite troubled widow of the elderly couple's son. All of the other characters are quite selfish and after a certain tragic event later in the film their indifference is such a powerful statement from Ozu to the audience to subtly point out the flaws in the average human being. It is, in a way, also a story about old people in a young city that seemingly does not have a place for them ( Similar to the way released long time convicts are portrayed in The Shawshank Redemption, who feel as though they have no place in this world ) which brings up the inability of modern society to care about our elders.It is also further enhanced by fantastic cinematography and great shots of the scenery of Tokyo, Osaka & Onomichi which shows us that we are but little people in such a big place, and that life has to go on. The before stated low camera angles and beautiful japanese cultural indoor scenery also take part in creating a visually beautiful experience. The music by Takanobu Saito also uses fantastic violins to enhance the emotional attachment to the film.In the end this is a simple story that could happen to every average person, which is also primarily what makes it so relatable. Yet also visually impressive with great acting, a great soundtrack and all the while observing an ages long moral human dilemma about connecting with our elders, it is a film that transcends its 'simple' story bounds by a long shot.

Tyson Hunsaker Tokyo Story won't appeal to movie-goers of all kinds but will definitely attract those who enjoy slow-paced character studies with relatable themes that make us think about ourselves and those we love. This 1953 masterpiece depicts an older couple living in country side Japan visiting their children in Tokyo. As they visit their family they receive colder welcomes than expected with the exception of an exceptional, widowed daughter in law. Yasujiro Ozu manages to paint a rather unsettling portrait of post-war life in Tokyo with a strong disconnect from family and a hopeless feeling of loneliness as the couple drifts in the overwhelming landscape of Tokyo. It's obvious great care was taken into the script by the authentic dialogue and humanistic tone of the scenes. The film beautifully explores themes like younger vs older generation gaps, meaning of life in contrast of war, loneliness, and the roles of children and parents.It's not easy examining a clear cut story structure but the story seems to be the daughter in law's story as she fills the slot of the audience as an observer watching the family treat each other. Yet, enough character payoff happens to allow some catharsis. While the structure is hard to examine, Tokyo Story feels as complete and thorough as any film can be. Anyone looking for a deeper and methodical character piece, Tokyo Story is not only highly recommended, it's an incredible study that gets better as each viewing passes and more time passes to mentally digest the film's depth. While it may not appeal to everyone, it most certainly is study reference material for any would be filmmaker on several narrative levels.

Charles Herold (cherold) When I was young, my reaction to film "classics" that I didn't like was that other people were simply wrong, but since that time I have come to understand that movies speak to people in very different ways. This movie is one I cannot connect with.In Tokyo Story, an elderly couple come to Tokyo to visit their children, who are too busy to spend much time with them. This dynamic plays out at a glacial pace. About a third of the way through the movie I came to believe it would be entirely plot less, and while it's not quite that, it is definitely got a lot more "Tokyo" in it than "Story."While the old people are very genial and pleasant, I didn't find their "story" that interesting. The movie did become more engrossing and affecting in its final third, but not enough to make up for the tedium of the first two thirds.The main reason I watched this movie was to see the brilliant Setsuko Hara, whose mesmerizing performance in Late Spring (also directed by Ozu) was most of the reason to watch it. She's very good here, but she's also got a pretty small part, which was very disappointing to me.Having seen two Ozu "classics" I'm thinking he's one of these highly admired film directors, like Godard or Jarmusch, whose appeal I find puzzling.Tokyo Story has been ranked by some as the greatest film ever made, but in a world of films like Rashomon, The Third Man, Citizen Kane, and Spirited Away, it's a label I cannot understand being placed on this particular movie.