An Inn In Tokyo (1935) directed by Yasujrio Ozu Viewed on July 7, 2019
Plot
Kihachi wanders through a desolate landscape on the outskirts of Tokyo looking for factory work, accompanied by his two sons. The only income they are able to make is by catching stray dogs for which the government is paying in an anti-rabies campaign. They are staying at an inn, but their money is running low. The boy become interested in a fancy cap that one of the other children has. The younger boy would like to own such a cap, but they need any money they make for food.
The next day, they run into a young widow, Otaka who is also looking for work, accompanied by her young daughter. The two boys play with the girl and quickly become friends. They part. The boys catch another stay dog, and the older boy goes off to cash in. When he returns, he has purchased a cap with the money. Kihachi is angry. They need the money for food. When they return to the inn, they find that the widow is also staying there, but she hasn't found work either.r
The next day brings no better luck for Kihachi. He leaves his sons to pursue a lead, but the boys wind up fighting, leaving their backpack on the road. When they return, the backpack is gone. The father returns, and gives them two options. They can skip dinner, and sleep at the inn. Or they can eat dinner, but sleep in the fields. They opt for the latter. Unfortunately, after they eat dinner, it begins to rain. What will they do? Just then, Kihachi runs into a woman he knows, Otsune, who happens to live right across the street. She asks them in, and Kihachi tells her that he is looking for work.
She is able to get work for him, and his fortunes have turned. He has enough money to send his older son to school and to buy a gift for the widow whom he is now pursuing.
One day, the little girl become ill. The widow disappears without telling Kihachi that she is going. Thinking that he has lost his chance, and really that he never had a chance, he gets drunk. But he finds the widow in the hospital. Realizing that she needs money to take of the little girl, he asks Otsune for help. She turns him down, thinking that he will use the money for bad habits. KIhachi goes out and steals the money. He returns and gives his sons the money to bring to the hospital. Otsune asks him where he got the money, and soon deduces that he has stolen it. If he had only told her why he needed it, she would have given it to him. Kihachi asks her to take care of his sons. He leaves to turn himself in.
Commentary:
Another early gem from Ozu. I particularly like his use of the bleak landscapes, reflecting the bleakness in the lives of the characters. As is typical of Ozu, much is expressed not through direct displays of emotion, but through the settings. The characters are often seen with their backs to the cameras, with the emotions felt through their pacing or through their hunched postures.
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