Samma no aji (An Autumn Afternoon). 1962. Japan. Directed by Yasujiro Ozu. In Japanese; English subtitles. 113 min.
With Chisu Ryu, Shima Iwashita, Shin-Ichiro Mikami, Keiji Sada, Mariko Okada. Ozu’s final film was made while his mother (with whom he lived) died, and while he was unknowingly dying from cancer. Although frequently lighthearted (as in a scene of drunken World War II veterans reminiscing about their dreams of conquering New York), the film represents a kind of summing up of the centrality of familial relationships, while recognizing the reality that we are ultimately all alone.