Tokyo Chorus (1931)

Tokyo Chorus (Tokyo no korasu)
Directed by Yasujiro Ozu
Written by Komatsu Kitamuro and Yasujiro Ozu
1931/Japan
Shochiku
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Channel

Shinji Okajima: A drowning man will clutch at straws.

Excellent early silent from my favorite director Yasujiro Ozu.

This silent comedy looks at the ups and downs of a middle class Japanese family during the Depression. Father had been looking forward to a bonus and promised his son a bicycle.  Before he can buy one, he is fired for sticking up for another employee.  A wooden scooter is not a substitute for a bicycle in his son’s eyes.  Father is a college graduate making him overqualified for most jobs.  When Father learns a little humility, he finds help comes from a most unexpected direction.

The film ranges from slapstick to poignancy and everything in between as it captures the experience of children and parents when they face challenges together. There is a moment when the family has reached its lowest ebb and the parents are playing a pat-a-cake game with the children. The husband and wife simply look at each other without saying a word or emoting very much. You can see all the genius that Ozu would develop in that one moment. Highly recommended.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2STlXeSq34