Muddy River is the first feature of Kohei Oguri. Produced independently and at first without distribution in Japan, it has rapidly won universal acclaim - and a nomination for an Academy Award as this year's Best Foreign Film. Set in 1956 Osaka (and shot in crisp black and white), it tells the story of Nobuo, a nine-year-old boy whose parents run a small restaurant on the banks of the Aji River, and his friendship with the members of a family whose houseboat has been moored near the restaurant.
“Muddy River has singlehandedly revived that wonderful category (shomin-geki) of films about ordinary people in ordinary lives who, like the characters in a film by Ozu or Naruse, accept reality....” (Museum of Modern Art New Directors Series). Donald Richie, critic and author of “Japanese Film,” writes, “It is a pleasure to welcome a film as honest, as sensitive, and as true...” as Muddy River.