Most of the films made by Yasujiro Ozu are family ethics films like this, but such family ethics films will probably be disliked today. Today's so-called family ethics films are actually mostly legendary films. No matter how bad they are, at least they have to talk about abortion or something, or they will be embarrassed to show them. Like rivers, these ethical films are like drainage ditches. Although they look bizarre and ups and downs, if you look closely, you can always see that their depths are nothing more than that, unless the water is too dirty to confuse the audiovisual, like "Human-Beast Hybrid". The movie, some people say it is amazing. And Ozu's films, such as "Tokyo Story", are extremely slow-paced, but they are a bottomless river, carrying too many themes, so they have to be slow.
What theme does it carry? Life, and all of life: aging, parting, death, forgetting, loneliness, and love that seems to be real. The film is as bland as boiled water, like the schedule of a middle-aged woman, like life, like fleeting years: in those empty scenes in the film, the ship sails through the river and the sun shines on the railroad tracks. Just to clarify with you: this is life, just life, don't do philosophical thinking, ask what death is; this is just the most mundane story of the death of a mother.
None of the characters in the play is a typical tall person. Everyone has their own selfishness. , felt that even others should think more comprehensively than her; however, everyone among them has true feelings. When my mother died (in Chinese movies, she cried a long time ago), the whole scene was silent, but you could feel the grief of the people in the play, and the infinite tension in the silence. Whether it's sobbing softly or silently, you can feel the grief behind you. They are so ordinary, so ordinary that they are like you and me, and they are so rich, so rich that they are like you and me.
It's not that no one has ever paid attention to the ordinary life of ordinary people, but Ozu's films have a unique perspective. I haven't seen Bazin's assessment of Ozu, but I believe he should be full of appreciation. On the film spectrum, Ozu undoubtedly belongs to the realist end. Many people will be very puzzled and depressed, why are there so many "useless" empty scenes in Ozu's films? After the characters leave the scene, Ozu often shows the empty scene for two to three seconds. I secretly think that this is to show the integrity of reality: the scene is not a stage, it is real, it will not disappear due to the disillusionment of the character's departure, this is a complete life.
The much-talked-about tatami-height shooting angle also reflects Ozu-style realism: the director is not a transcendent presence in the film, he is not a god, and he does not know where the story will go. He seems to be with you and me. Just like the observer sitting on the tatami, as an invisible member of this family, observing the ordinary story of this ordinary family. Undoubtedly this is not the reality, you know Ozu knows where the story is going, and you know it's impossible for him not to be evaluating without opinions. But the great thing about a good realist director like Ozu is that they're narrating, not indoctrinating, and they don't make the whole scene so painful that you feel like you can't tell without crying. In the medium of film, the director has the power close to God. A film is like a world created by the director. Comedy films and tragic films will have completely different logics. It is also like stepping on a banana peel. There will be diametrically opposite effects and effects. In this world, the director can control what you hear and see, and can control the performance of the people in the play, making you think that the people in the play embody God’s thoughts and agree with God’s actions. So when a director resists the temptation to manipulate the film, puts down the mask of God and returns to the ranks of mortals, it is a magnificent feat in itself. They don't expect to reveal the truth, but try to present the reality they see to the audience; they don't want to control the direction of the movie, just like to present a truth that is in line with the audience's understanding, and they permeate their own perceptions in the narrative , express your views through the harmony and conflict of the people in the play, but you will know that such views come from people, a person as ordinary as you, his views may be right or wrong, the reality is open , so this kind of movie is also open, just waiting for you to understand and feel it with your heart.
Watching a movie like this, you wouldn't want anyone in the world to die. Because you see everyone in the play living selfishly and selflessly like you, struggling ruthlessly and affectionately. They live for a reason, just like you, and you look at them and feel like you are you. It’s not that children don’t love their parents, it’s just that there are always too many things in life, burying this love somewhere in the heart, and there are always too many excuses in life to let you evade responsibility and forget your kindness. Shika undoubtedly loved her mother, but on the day of the funeral, she returned to Tokyo with her mother's most beautiful clothes. Love is beautiful, but unfortunately it always has to exist in reality, in real life.
So Kyoko would ask, "Isn't life very disappointing?" So even Noriko, who has the most perfect character in the play, would admit, "Yes, I'm writing about hateful things." Then, when talking to Dad, , Noriko will cry and confess that she is not so perfect, she no longer thinks of Changji often, and she is often lonely, feeling that she can't go on like this, her heart is not kind.
Life is always so fettered, so realistic. It is rare to have a few days off these days, but I didn't go home to see my parents. The reason for myself is that there are too many things at school to let go, but I ended up watching several movies. As long as you need it, life will always give you endless excuses.
There is no doubt that people are always selfish, and life is always disappointing. This seems to be a chicken-and-egg problem. But it's pointless to dwell on this issue. Neither selfishness nor disappointment in life is a valid reason for continuing to be selfish and disappointing. We are limited in our lives, but in our limited lives we still have so many choices. Noriko also knows the helplessness of life and her selfishness, but she can still warm the hearts of the two elders, and she still chooses to forgive Koichi, Shijia and Keizan for their selfishness, and does not let her love be lost in the scouring of life. So we know that people are always selfish and life is not easy, but every mortal still has the opportunity to make himself and others smile.
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