This lively and accessible film introduces the character of Kihachi, the flawed but lovable proletarian everyman of several Ozu films, always played by Takeshi Sakamoto. Kihachi is always depicted as single but having a son or two; here the son is delightfully played by Ozu's favorite obnoxious youngster, Tokkan Kozo. Factory worker Kihachi's brief affair with a young woman raises his son's ire, but the sparring between parent and child reveals depths of feeling ultimately leading to sacrifice and redemption. “This film was inspired by King Vidor's 1931 The Champ...a story of vagabonds abundant with humor and pathos, which Ozu clearly transferred from the American picture to his own” (Tadao Sato).