Remake of the masterpiece by Yasujiro Ozu: an old couple visit their children in the hectic city of Tokyo.

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An old couple from a rural island go to Tokyo to visit their children and grandchildren. Although they announced their visit far in advance, their relatives don’t manage to prepare for them in time, because their hectic city life doesn’t leave room for thinking about their elders. It would have been easy to just discipline this bunch of egotists, but then there wouldn’t be any suspense, never mind a movie.

Yoji Yamada likes to look to the past – this time around his eye landed on a 1953 masterpiece by his countryman Yasujiro Ozu. Yamada has updated the story for our times. While the roles are well-cast, the staging is as stiff as Japanese society. The cinematography and the quiet rhythm, however, nonetheless make the movie enjoyable.