filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

user-15-840154 This is a very touching movie, but after saw a film critic, I found that for Westerners, the film may not have that deep feeling. So as an Asians, I would like to say this film is quite moving for Asians.Perhaps the emotional expression of Eastern and Western cultures are quite different. Asians express their emotions in a more delicate way. Therefore, in the film, the delicate movements and expressions are very emotional expression to the Asians audience. ''In addition, filial piety, and the gap between urban and rural life, as well as homesickness, are very important issue for the Asians.The most touching of this film is the love of parents to their children, although there is no direct face to face expression, but through the mother and father's behavior, they show indeed deep love.So I would like to say to Western audiences that this is a very good movie that expresses the emotions of Asians. If you can really appreciate the moving part of this film, you can understand the Asians's emotion world.Not to mention, the soundtrack of Hisaishi is really great!

Que no me toque un alto delante Almost always when seeing oriental movies, I find myself in front of the cultural abyss that separates us. I see the characters almost as if they were from another dimension, making strange gestures, eating strange things and saying strange things. This film is no exception. But in that very strangeness, the director manages to tell a daily and customary story as simple and direct as the title of the film. That is what the film is, no more and no less: a family in Tokyo. Although at the beginning it becomes very heavy, then picks up a lot and I could enjoy a mundane story and nothing flashy but somehow therein lies its value as a movie. In the normality, the wonder of family relationships appears. And in this case, we can be dragged to the parallel universe of life and Japanese culture, in which we find extremely different but also tremendously universal things. I think the movie does not "pass", but worth it for the "Japan-curious". The screenplay delivers an everyday, simple story. The are A LOT of actors, but a special mention for Yoshiyuki (the grandmother) and Yu Aoi (Noriko, the girlfriend of Shuji).

d-JCB 9/10watched an amazing film this morning… just when i was trying to get to sleep after another "up till sunrise" night… it's called Tokyo Family by Yôji Yamada, a tribute to legendary Japanese director Yasujirô Ozu and his most famous film, Tokyo Story from 1953… it's quite similar in idea, where older parents from a country sea side town come to Tokyo to visit their kids / grand kids, but no one really has time for them… Tokyo has this high paced way of living, while in the country the old folks just kick back and enjoy life go by… the relationship between the father and son reminded me of my situation with dad who recently passed away - my personality & outlook in life is like mine while the fathers is like my dad… also there's a death in the film where the whole family has to go thru, very sudden like dad's circumstances… it destroyed me, but in a good way cause it allowed be to grieve a bit more, cause I've been resisting it a bit since dad's funeral… it really is a heart breaking film, and like death it is hard for all family members to endure… in the film the funeral & wake were very beautiful, respectful… all the family got together like we all did… it finishes on a positive note that life must go on, the father becomes more accepting of the son & vice versa… thru this death in the family they break their stand off between each other and bond in their own unique way…instant 9/10 & keen to watch it again… u should too, to see the contrasts between generations, traditions & cities… old times compared to modern times… something that will be timeless, just like Yamada modernising the Ozu 50s masterpiece with another masterpiece that will be also treasured for generations to come

JvH48 Saw this at the Berlinale 2013 film festival. It is an "update" on the famous original Tokyo Story (Yasujiro Ozu, 1953), but I learned that only afterwards. I did not see the original before this one, so I cannot compare.An elderly couple who have lived in a remote village for many years already, bring a visit to their three grown children in the big city of Tokyo. The first half hour shows a lot of chit-chat between family members without really communicating with each other. It may be normal on such an occasion, when family members have no real common topics apart from ancient memories. Yet it leaves on me a depressing view on family relationships. I would not be surprised when this afterthought is deliberate, and as such intended by the film makers.The older son (doctor) is very occupied with his patients, and the daughter (beauty parlor) is very busy with her daily tasks. And the younger son who is not taken very seriously by the other family members, has decided to live his own life and moved out. Older son and daughter conspire to move the elderly couple from place to place, making their parents feeling lonely and deserted. Later on the parents are even shifted to a hotel, and a lot of arguments pass by why this is only for their own good (we know better than that).The story becomes interesting when mother and father follow a different route during one night. The mother meets the girl friend of the younger son, and there is an immediate "click". She even entrusts the girl friend with her savings, to use in case of an emergency, rather than giving it to her son, because the mother knows about his impulsive buying pattern. The father drinks too much in a bar, and arrives in the morning in a grumpy state. But (!) he immediately sees that his wife returned in a happy mood from whatever she did that night. What the latter was precisely, he would never know due to her sudden heart failure later that day.Sitting and waiting in the hospital brings the whole family together physically (but still not mentally), until the dreaded moment that the mother is declared dead. Eventually they all travel to the village where father and mother used to live, to attend the funeral rites. Of course, the older brother and sister cannot wait to return to their duties after the funeral, and only the younger son and his girl friend stay for a few extra days. When they are about to leave, we see a crucial scene when the father and the girl friend have a real talk together. Suddenly, we see the father figure in a very different light, before that time always seeming a father-knows-best figure, but after that scene we stand corrected.All in all, this microscopic study on family relationships proved very interesting, visualized very well, thereby portraying each family member in his/her own merits. There is no ending to spoil, and there is no real plot either. It is something that should be watched as it passes by on the screen. The actors perform very well in their respective roles, perfectly outlining each ones good and bad features. There are no bad guys in this movie, however, each pulls his weight in the busy ways of living and coping nowadays.