Great film but

This a great film and one of the best bits of British cinema ever. However I can't help but think that if it was directed by Ozu and set Japan it would be more highly rated by critics, a la Tokyo Story. I'm not saying Tokyo Story or other work by Ozu is bad, but there does seem to be a degree of favouritism attached to his work and other Japanese films by critics (Tokyo Story is no2 on the BFI 50 greatest films) . Brief Encounter is superior to Tokyo Story and is made by a better director imo, so it's a shame to see it not as highly regarded.