"Probably the masterpiece of Ozu's silent period" (Noel Burch). "This beautifully observed film is among Ozu's most realistic. Indeed, the term 'neorealism' has been used to describe Ozu's establishing scenes of the effects of the Great Depression in Tokyo" (Donald Richie). The story tells of an unemployed factory worker, Kihachi, who takes to the road with his two sons after he is abandoned by his wife. They find companionship with an equally destitute widow and her daughter. Ozu, who continued to make silent films until 1936, described his technique in this film: "Given the tendencies of the times...I couldn't avoid adapting talkie techniques to this silent. For example, I dared to insert the subtitles of A's dialogue into a close-up of B, who is listing to A..." (Ozu on Ozu)