An Inn in Tokyo

The final still-extant silent film directed by Yasujiro Ozu is an exquisitely tender portrait of everyday survival in 1930s Japan. Anticipating the neorealist poetry of BICYCLE THIEVES, AN INN IN TOKYO follows unemployed ne’er-do-well Kihachi (Takeshi Sakamoto) and his young sons as they eke out an existence on the city’s margins, catching stray dogs for reward money and eventually becoming involved with a similarly impoverished woman and her daughter. With its simple yet elegant compositions and striking use of Tokyo’s industrial landscapes, this bittersweet slice-of-life tale represents a key work in the evolution of Ozu’s artistry.