Settling

I just rewatched this and decided it's one of my favorite Ozu films.

I think what is so moving about this is that it is about settling, i.e., coming to the realization that you aren't getting exactly what you want and dealing with that. The keen insight of the film is that this isn't such a terrible thing. Especially in modern Western culture (and aren't all of Ozu's films really about the juxtaposition of traditional with modern culture?), we are taught that settling for a second-best outcome is a failure. The film shows that we are really better off accepting it.

We see settling across three generations. The bratty kid desperately wants his toy train tracks, and when he gets a loaf of bread instead he throws a fit and runs away. This is probably the worst reaction to not getting what you want. The grandparents, on the other hand, accept what they receive without too much complaint. They say a couple of times that they "should be" happy.

Somewhere in the middle of these two reactions is Noriko. She is clearly settling with her marriage choice, and she seems moderately upset about it. But then again she does so willingly. I think with Noriko we are seeing someone who is "growing up," or gaining wisdom, moving from the bratty, whining reactions of childhood to the more accepting reactions of the old and wise.

That's what I thought anyway.