Previously in this series, I wrote about films from 1940 and 1941 which covered the works of both Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles. The movie I have picked for 1942 comes from a no less prestigious director; Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese film director who specialised in seemingly simple stories about families, relationships and everyday life. Before this, Tokyo Story was the only other Ozu film that I had seen, a gentle and poetic story that captured a universal experience masterfully. Suffice to say, I had high expectations going into 'There Was A Father'.
There Was A Father follows the relationship between a poor schoolteacher, Shuhei, and his son, Yasutaro, over many years. After a tragedy involving one of Shuhei's students, he hopes that his son does not make the same mistakes as he did.
Similarly to Tokyo Story, TWAF explores a central familial relationship and the under-stated devastation that simple acts and decisions can have on it. Here, Shuhei's noble decision to send his son to a boarding school to provide him with the best education possible unfortunately means distancing himself from his son, who wants nothing more than to live with his father.
These themes are particularly impactful at the start and end of the film, however I would have liked the opportunity to connect more with the main characters and their lives rather than having a time jump so quickly. Perhaps it is this time jump that also means that the movie does not flow as well as it could have done nor connect together in a way that maximises its sombre ending. It is probably unfair to keep comparing this movie to Tokyo Story, but I think the main difference between the two is that Tokyo Story lingered in my mind for far longer than TWAF did though the latter does have a bitter, thought-provoking ending.
On the more positive side, I am keen to watch more of Ozu's films- even in There Was A Father, there are so many elements that make his style of storytelling so moving and poetic.
Thank you for reading this article. Click below to find the earlier posts in this series:
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