This is kind of a re-make of the excellent Ozu film from 1932 "I Was Born, But", but its centered around different values. That essential silent film from Ozu is about two brothers who are bullied and wonder about their status in life. This film is about the two boys wanting a television and their parents refusing. So, after screaming about it and the parents telling them they talk too much, they take on a vow of silence that extends to the neighbors in this suburban town in Japan and even in school. They can only watch TV at a young couple's house with the other neighborhood kids. They just want a television. This Ozu film is a slice of mostly a by gone era, when kids were able to just run around, the neighbors freely visit each other without calling first and values were much simpler. The acting is great, but what do you expect, it has Chisyu Ryu and Haruko Sugimura in it, two of Ozu's best actors. I would have liked to have seen Setsuko Hara as one of the housewives, but I guess she was not available. The acting by the kids, especially the brothers played by Koji Shidara and Masahiko Shimazu, is spot on. I wanted some things growing up and nagged my parents, who hasn't? Its a fun film about wanting something you don't have. Enjoy it, its another highly watchable Ozu film.
Review of Good Morning
