Poppoya

We made the mistake of not having any tissues next to us while watching this. This movie does a brilliant job of portraying the life of a railroad worker who is so dedicated to his job, that the greatest joys of his life pass him by and he only realizes it when it is too late.

It helps if the viewer has an appreciation of Japanese culture and the importance of dedication to one's company (especially among the older generation) to really feel the impact of this movie. If you do not view this film from that perspective, then you will have difficulty empathizing with the main character and therefore miss the beauty contained therein.

Brilliant, beautiful, and poignant. 10/10

What more can I say about this movie the other reviewers have already said better. I just watched this movie on TV as a special presentation on one of the local foreign language TV stations here in Los Angeles. If you ever get a chance to see this movie, see it.

It has wonderful understated acting, direct but subtle writing, and beautiful cinematography. This is the perfect antidote to the summer blockbuster.

I just watched this tonight and had to get it from Hong Kong, via Ebay. I don't agree with the last reviewer, though I recognise the comments about values of the past. That is kind of the point. The movie establishes Sato, the railroader, as a sympathetic character. He's not as cold as his exterior: he does grieve for his wife and his daughter, he does show affection and care for the girls and for his colleague etc. He is criticised and there is a constant theme about how he feels he cannot change. The fact that he should have done this or that differently makes us think about what he should or should not have done.

I found the film touching and thought that it was shot well and had a pretty decent plot. The revelation of the plot at the end was a bit of clumsy exposition, but the movie has heart and I am willing to forgive it.

A particularly Japanese take on duty and responsibility, Ken Takakura is a trainman at a rural train station. Sad, poignant, but ultimately redeeming of the choices he has had to make in order to fulfill his chosen occupation, if you are looking for action of any sort go elsewhere. This is a character drama and an excellent one. If all you know of Takekura is 'Mr. Baseball' and 'Black Rain' then you ought to see him in a role which allows him to demonstrate his strengths as an actor, delivering an amazing performance with very little overt emoting.

A real touching film based on an equally moving short story. So much that it actually hurts. I just couldn't hold my tears back towards the end of the film, and I doubt those who appreciate this wonderful movie can either. Yes, it's a tear-jerker, but unlike love stories (and this isn't one) it's the poignance behind one man's stoicism -- that of a man who's not just about to be brush aside by progress, but also tormented by his guilt over the death of his wife and daughter -- that makes it heart-warming yet sad at the same time. Kudos to Yasuo Furuhata for staying faithful to Jiro Asada's story, and Ken Takakura for a stirring performance as the aging station manager.

This film will probably haunt me again the next time I take a train-ride through the snow.