Tokyo Story
Recommended. Age: 13+. A Catholic review of this movie for parents.
Our review
An old mother and father take a long train ride to visit their grown-up children in Tokyo. The children are too busy for them, and only their kind daughter-in-law Noriko makes time. It is a slow, quiet, sad movie about loving your parents while you can, best for teens and grown-ups. Ozu made a film about the fourth commandment without ever naming it. No one is cruel. The children are simply busy, and that is what makes it sting. Catholic Culture's film podcast says it should send every generation to an examination of conscience, and that is right. Our content numbers are blank because no parent-guide source could be fetched, so read the notes.
For parents
Nothing here is aimed at children, and the pace is very slow, so plan it for teens and adults. Sourced content is slight: the grandfather gets drunk with two old friends, and the grandmother falls ill and dies, followed by her funeral. The value is in the talk afterward. Ask: which of the children honors their father and mother, and how? Why is Noriko, who is not a blood relative, the one who gives her time? The children are not villains, only busy. Where do we do the same to our own parents and grandparents? The family is Japanese and not Christian, so the funeral shown is not a Christian one. That is a chance to talk about what we believe about death and praying for the dead.