OPENING
Ozu shows us a train cutting through a town along with telephone lines. From the beginning we understand that the train is the new way of life that constantly moves forward. We are introduced to Shukichi and Tomi Hirayama as they are preparing to depart on a train to see their children in Osaka. We see one of their younger daughters, Kyoko helping them prepare to leave. She has great respect for her parents as she tells them she’s made tea for them and will return to say goodbye to them after school. In Osaka we see a sign that tells us one of the children is a doctor of internal medicine and children’s diseases. Fumiko prepares the house for her mother and father in law and in doing so her son is upset that his desk has been moved to make room for the grandparents. Ozu is showing us the level of respect this child lacks for his elders.
Noriko arrives at her brother in law’s home and she greets her parents. We learn that she has a job, but does not have a husband. We can feel that this is a tender subject. Ozu goes deeper with the themes as Tomi speaks of how the world has changed so much. Noriko says, “but you haven’t changed at all.” But she has, she has, she’s gotten older. Ozu is pointing out how the world changes and those who are of the past and choose to stay the same get left behind. Another sister comes in to tell her mother than she has gotten taller and fatter, and how embarrassed she was when her mother broke a chair she was sitting on while at her school. It’s a subtle remark that is played off, but one that tells us the relationship between mother and daughter. Later in the night Koichi asks his parents if they are tired and want to go to bed. They say they are, and do. But when they get to their room they sit up talking because they aren’t tired. They were just being polite. They say, “here at last” in regards to making it to Tokyo. We feel the desire these two people have had to come to Tokyo, the big city and this desire has been met. We also understand that their image of it was much different as they expected their children to live closer to the main city, and they seem farther away than they believed.
TOO BUSY
Shige and her husband speak over breakfast at their beauty salon. He wants to see her parents, but she tells him not to bother because they will come by to their house and see them. Shige says that they are in town for 2-3 days. She doesn’t actually know that they are staying much longer. It reveals the lack of regard for her parents. Koichi is taking his parents into town, but he has a sick child to go see and they aren’t able to go. Ozu shows us Koichi’s sons throwing a tantrum about not being able to go to the city. Shukichi says that Koichi was just the same as a child. Thus we are able to understand that this relationship has been going on for quite some time and has been passed on to Koichi and his children.
At the beauty salon Shige husband, Kurazo has bought her parents expensive cakes. She tells him they are good, but oo expensive to give to them. We continue to see her lack of regard for her parents. She doesn’t seek to give them the kind of honor and respect one would expect to see. Her parents are upstairs in their home/beauty salon and Kurazo offers to take them to the public baths and get ice cream on the way home. Shige stays behind to dress a woman’s hair. She then tells her mother to take her wooden sandals, “the old ones.” It’s a symbol for the lack of care she has for what she gives her mother. Instead of giving her the best cakes or new sandals she gives the old ones, or the least expensive food. Shige calls Noriko to take her parents out as she can’t do it.
Noriko takes her parents-in-law on a tour of Tokyo. Ozu has her point out Shige and Koichi’s homes and then has her point out where she lives. It’s in the opposite direction of the siblings. It’s a symbol for the different kind of people they are. Noriko then invites her parents-in-law to her apartment. It’s a humble home, but she honors them with sake and green peppers. We see the two parents standing on either side of a picture of their son, Shoji, Noriko’s husband. He was drafted in the war and was killed. Shukichi and Tomi are incredibly happy to have been able to spend the day with her seeing the sights. The conversation that ensues about Shoji and life is the first time we hear anyone speak about something with meaning. We see that Shoji’s death has affected them all and that through this they are able to get to a real place of conversation not just the pleasantries we’ve heard thus far in the film.
HOT SPRINGS
Koichi and Shige decide to send their parents to Atami, a spa and hot springs as it is less expensive to send them there than to have to take them out in Tokyo, plus they don’t have the time. Shukichi and Tomi are quite excited to be near the sea and are looking forward to getting up early for a walk on the beach. They feel special as their children have taken care of them. Unfortunately the hotel they are in turns into what looks and sounds like a gambling den, and they are unable to get any quality rest. Ozu’s images of them in bed, hot and frustrated while the other members of the hotel drink and gamble reveals how Shukichi and Tomi are hurt now that they realize their children have put them in this miserable place. They understand they are meant to be getting out of the way of their kids with this trip, not being honored by them with it. Tomi becomes dizzy when leaving Atami.
When they arrive back at Shige’s beauty salon she isn’t pleased to see them. She even tells a woman whose hair she’s working on that Shukichi and Tomi are just some friends from the country. She’s still embarrassed by her parents and carries the hurt of that embarrassment to this day. Ozu reveals the relationships between parents and children by their actions, not based on what they say. We don’t know the entire backstory of the children, but we are able to see what it has created in the present, and how the past hurt still affects them. Shige tells them that they won’t be able to stay because she is hosting beauticians at her place. Shukichi chuckles that they are really homeless now after Shige leaves as they don’t want to trouble Koichi. The next shot Ozu shows us is the couple sitting together on the side of a street. They certainly now look homeless. They decide to split up, Tomi will stay with Norkio and Shukichi will see if he can stay with an old friend, Hattori. Hattori, though is renting his room and can’t lend it to Shukichi. They join an old police chief and drink all night talking about their dissatisfaction with their children. Ozu uses sake to be an agent of truth for these men. For them to discuss their dissatisfaction with their children is also to discuss their dissatisfaction with the way the world has changed. At Noriko’s place Tomi tells her that she is honored to sleep in her dead son’s bed, but that she wants the young woman to move on with her life. To remarry. Both of these moments that Shukichi and Tomi have are quite vulnerable ones, and we learn more about Shukichi when he returns to Shige’s drunk. She tells of how he used to be a wild drunk before Kyoko was born. Thus we begin to understand that Shige’s feelings towards her father and mother are founded on difficult experiences from her childhood. And when we saw Kyoko early in the film being so kind to her parents we can now understand that her relationship with them was different that Shige and Koichi’s as she didn’t live with a drunken father, nor experiencing the fights that Tomi and Shukichi would have when he’d come home drunk.
THE TRAIN HOME
On the train ride home Tomi gets sick and they stop off and stay with their youngest son, Keizo who seems to be inconvenienced by their staying. Once again Ozu shows us the children’s disdain. Shukichi and Tomi finally make it home, but as soon as they do Tomi falls critically ill. The children receive telegrams and they decide to take the train to see their mother. They arrive, but Keizo doesn’t answer the telegram and is not there with them. Ozu shows us an image of a bird fluttering around a light in their home. It symbolizes Tomi going towards the light. Koichi tells his father that she won’t make it through the night. Tomi peacefully passes away at 3:15am and Keizo doesn’t make it in time to say goodbye to his mother.
Shukichi is outside when Noriko goes to find him. He says that it will be another hot day. Ozu uses this imagery to show us that he is lost in this grand world and at the same time doing his best to put one foot in front of the other. They hold a ceremony for Tomi and Keizo steps outside. He says he can’t stand the sound of the prayers. They seem to make his mother smaller and smaller. Ozu uses this scene to show us that she has become smaller and smaller not because of the sounds of the prayers but because of Keizo’s guilt that he wasn’t a good son. After the service the children have a meal with their father and Shige asks for some of her clothes. They soon leave and it is only Kyoko and Nuriko that are left behind. Ozu shoots the two women looking nearly into the camera, it’s a scene with two women with the same heart having different perspectives. Nuriko is one of hopeful optimism and Kyoko’s one of realism.
The train leaves carrying Nuriko as Kyoko looks at the window at it. Ozu then cuts to an empty train track. The symbol is that nothing connects Kyoko to Tokyo anymore. The train has gone and she and her father are left alone as the other children carry on with their lives.
