Review of Equinox Flower (1958) by Daniel K — 21 Mar 2008

Ozu seems to progress through the various phases of life, time, and existence of humans on earth. He takes on human life stage-by-stage, issue-by-issue, in a simple and yet incredibly rich and textured manner.

No event, feeling, or person is too mundane or too small. There is no added drama or narrative twist added to his films simply for the sake of entertainment or retaining the viewers attention. Everything is done in a realistic and believable manner.

His scope is the entirety of existence despite what could initially seem like a restricted and specific view. His films are incredibly specific to the Japanese culture of a certain period and yet attain a universality rarely, if ever, seen even among the greatest directors ever to pick up a camera.

This film in particular made me think more about the relationship Ozu may have had on other directors than most and reminded me a bit of Renoir. I'm not sure entirely why, because their camera style are obviously quite different.

Their dialogue is paced differently and their touch is rarely the same, but they still seem like kindred spirits to me. Both have highly composed and formalized shot structure and both seem to gravitate toward a certain of story and even have a similarity in acting style if you can compare Japan to France.

A Masterpiece, pure and simple.