'Equinox Flower' is such a lovely title for a film, isn't it? Have noticed this with all of Yasujiro Ozu's oeuvre, all of his films having very poetic and appealing titles that makes one want to see the film in question straightaway. On top of that, Ozu was a mighty fine director. One of the best of his generation and a big influence in cinema, while his best films are reasons why foreign films appeal to me so much. His style is a distinctive one that may take patience to get into but it does fascinate.
While not quite one of Ozu's primary masterpieces, 'Equinox Flower' struck me upon watching as a great film and towards the top end when ranking his filmography. It has everything that makes his work so appealing and demonstrative enough of what made him such a great director. The subject and themes are familiar ones for Ozu, being a director that used them a lot in his work, but generally this didn't strike me as a problem because he was near-unparallelled in how he explored them. Hardly any other director really made the subject of family as human, intimate or as emotionally investable as Ozu. 'Equinox Flower' is just one of the examples at how good he was at this.
It takes a bit of time to get going and to the point (even for a director that took a deliberate approach to his stories unfolding the film does feel a little too slow and very slight to begin with), but really do do your best to stick with it. Because it really does become a lot more compelling and throughout it is vintage Ozu all the way.
Ozu's direction as usual is meticulous in its detail and subtle. The first of his films to be shot in colour, 'Equinox Flower' is one of his most beautiful-looking later films, the usual camera techniques are there and as clever and intimate as ever but with the extra benefit of being in lush colour. The music is again nostalgic and sometimes hypnotic, with a playful touch at times that fits the film's tone ideally.
Like a vast majority of his other films, 'Equinox Flower' is beautifully written. There is nothing cold about it, it's poetic in flow, very thoughtful and with a nice playful yet still gentle humour and emotion without being sentimental. The story once it gets going is so human and charming, it is Ozu at perhaps his most playful but the melancholic edge is genuinely poignant and attention to character development and their relationships are remarkably rich in detail and relatable. The acting is typically great, particularly Shin Saburi and Ineka Arima. Both suitably determined but in an understated way.
To conclude, great. 9/10
While not quite one of Ozu's primary masterpieces, 'Equinox Flower' struck me upon watching as a great film and towards the top end when ranking his filmography. It has everything that makes his work so appealing and demonstrative enough of what made him such a great director. The subject and themes are familiar ones for Ozu, being a director that used them a lot in his work, but generally this didn't strike me as a problem because he was near-unparallelled in how he explored them. Hardly any other director really made the subject of family as human, intimate or as emotionally investable as Ozu. 'Equinox Flower' is just one of the examples at how good he was at this.
It takes a bit of time to get going and to the point (even for a director that took a deliberate approach to his stories unfolding the film does feel a little too slow and very slight to begin with), but really do do your best to stick with it. Because it really does become a lot more compelling and throughout it is vintage Ozu all the way.
Ozu's direction as usual is meticulous in its detail and subtle. The first of his films to be shot in colour, 'Equinox Flower' is one of his most beautiful-looking later films, the usual camera techniques are there and as clever and intimate as ever but with the extra benefit of being in lush colour. The music is again nostalgic and sometimes hypnotic, with a playful touch at times that fits the film's tone ideally.
Like a vast majority of his other films, 'Equinox Flower' is beautifully written. There is nothing cold about it, it's poetic in flow, very thoughtful and with a nice playful yet still gentle humour and emotion without being sentimental. The story once it gets going is so human and charming, it is Ozu at perhaps his most playful but the melancholic edge is genuinely poignant and attention to character development and their relationships are remarkably rich in detail and relatable. The acting is typically great, particularly Shin Saburi and Ineka Arima. Both suitably determined but in an understated way.
To conclude, great. 9/10