Perennial Yasujiro Ozu favorites Chishu Ryu and Choko Iida (the latter also appears in Japanese Grandmas) anchor this slyly humorous look at a community trying to rebuild itself in the ruins of postwar Tokyo, and what happens when they must look after an abandoned child. “I don’t want him” is the response from a chorus of suspicious, stone-faced adults when confronted with the wide-eyed youth, but soon he’s joining in their everyday struggles and songs. It’s a simple tale, but in Ozu’s hands, it’s mesmerizing, as is the film’s portrayal of Shitamachi, Tokyo, circa 1947, a city that has been reduced to rubble but is about to begin again.

—Jason Sanders

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