Uma Família em Tóquio

Some movies you cant be bothered to follow the plot because its so two dimensional and so badly acted. Some movies you forget the minute you leave the theater. Some leave an impression on you. But then some movies are more than just a good story told, they touch your soul. These moves are experiences you cherish. They have great story that transcend the senses, they are so well acted the characters come to life, you don't see actors acting the part you see people living their lives. These movies are masterfully directed, with great music. The Tokyo Family is such a movie.

I read some of the comments, on this movie, there was one reviewer who said "Almost always when seeing oriental movies....I see the characters almost as if they were from another dimension" My advice to him is don't watch oriental or for that matter foreign movies anymore. This movie is about human feelings and family relations which is universal in human race.

9/10

watched an amazing film this morning… just when i was trying to get to sleep after another "up till sunrise" night… it's called Tokyo Family by Yôji Yamada, a tribute to legendary Japanese director Yasujirô Ozu and his most famous film, Tokyo Story from 1953… it's quite similar in idea, where older parents from a country sea side town come to Tokyo to visit their kids / grand kids, but no one really has time for them… Tokyo has this high paced way of living, while in the country the old folks just kick back and enjoy life go by…

the relationship between the father and son reminded me of my situation with dad who recently passed away - my personality & outlook in life is like mine while the fathers is like my dad… also there's a death in the film where the whole family has to go thru, very sudden like dad's circumstances…

it destroyed me, but in a good way cause it allowed be to grieve a bit more, cause I've been resisting it a bit since dad's funeral… it really is a heart breaking film, and like death it is hard for all family members to endure… in the film the funeral & wake were very beautiful, respectful… all the family got together like we all did… it finishes on a positive note that life must go on, the father becomes more accepting of the son & vice versa… thru this death in the family they break their stand off between each other and bond in their own unique way…

instant 9/10 & keen to watch it again… u should too, to see the contrasts between generations, traditions & cities… old times compared to modern times… something that will be timeless, just like Yamada modernising the Ozu 50s masterpiece with another masterpiece that will be also treasured for generations to come

I was anticipating a respectful homage to Ozu's Tokyo Story. What I got was respectful but a very different take on Ozu's classic. Watching the first half was a little worrying as the movie took its time establishing the characters and setting the scene, with the obligatory nods to Ozu's super low camera angles. Had Yoji Yamada lost his way while eulogizing his hero? But this start made the second half really shine as you really knew the characters, and became involved in their actions since we understood their faults, and wondered if, or when, they were ever going to develop and change. Fans of Yamada will again delight in his subtle depictions of contemporary Japan. He has long championed the innate goodness of ordinary people living in suburbs and villages away from the tourist-trampled extremes of Shinjuku, Ginza or Gion. Although his characters are imperfect, they exemplify Yamada's profound respect for the institutions of family and friendship. Additionally, Im not sure if this was a deliberate subplot or not but, students of Japanese gender-based communication style differences will find a minefield of scenes to use for generating discussion. Highly recommended for those who also believe in Yamada's values.

This film is a 2013 color re-make of Yasujiro Ozu's 1953 "Tokyo Story," that was voted the #1 film by directors in the 2012 Sight and Sound poll. The plot lines and characters are very similar with some distinct differences; even some lines of dialogue are the same or very similar. The biggest difference is that while Noriko in the 1953 film is the daughter-in-law of the elderly couple, whose son was killed in WWII, Noriko in the 2013 film is the future daughter-in-law engaged to the elderly second couple's son (much more developed in this film, not in a flattering way). In addition, the incomparable Setsuko Hara, known as the Japanese Garbo, played Noriko in the 1953 film and brought to the role a transcendent luminosity of compassion and wisdom. Secondly, while Ozu had a distinct cinematographic style of usually having the camera directly in front of the characters while they spoke, we see this much less frequently in the 2013 film. These are just a few of the differences. Overall, it is an interesting re-make, but Ozu's "Tokyo Story" is still one of the greatest films ever made.

The plot goes around an elderly couple, parents of children, who decide in the twilight of their lives to visit the capital of their country and thus meet their sons, daughter and grandchildren. Many things happen during the visit, that one cannot really imagine, itr didn´t go well. At certain point, the film reminds me somewhat Visconti´s "Rocco and his brothers (1960)". The behavior of the parents, their way of thinking, is far from that of their sons and daughter. The epilogue of the movie is very educational, worth to be analyzed, let anyone thinking if something can be done to correct some aspects of their lives, which may help life´s improvement in today's modern society. One cannot just live thinking about the material, the spiritual has to occupy good space in our lives. This film shows that good movies can be made without always having to deal with crime scenes, fictions, or with almost pornographic scenes. The cinema may serve to entertain, true, but equally to educate, and this film teaches and educates.