Tokyo Story (1953) – Simple & True…

Yasujirō Ozu‘s Tokyo Story is a film I would urge anyone to see, because I can’t think of another film that matches it for such simple and profound emotional truth.

In twenty years as a film buff, I’m ashamed to say that I’ve had a blind spot when it comes to Japanese cinema.   My prejudices were probably strengthened by the few examples of J-horror that I’d seen.  The end of Ringu was so pant-wettingly scary that it almost got me a free month’s rent – my flatmate was so frightened he offered to let me off if I’d let him sleep in my room that night.  Yet the preceding two hours or so were pretty much how I expected Japanese films to be – chilly, inscrutable, oblique.