UMARETE WA MITA KEREDO(I Was Born, But..., Yasujiro Ozu, Japan 1932, 2., 9., 23. & 30.10.) After moving to a Tokyo suburb, 10-year-old Ryoichi and his eight-year-old brother Keiji, sons of a modestly-ranked employee, require a great deal of effort to conquer their new surroundings. They've only just been accepted by the neighborhood kids, when the whole gang witnesses Ryoichi and Keiji's father groveling in front of his superior. Annoyed and indignant at their father's shameful behavior, they decide to confront him. The homemade rice balls the next morning offer little solace for the impositions represented by the adult world's relationships of power and independence. For them, the last word hasn't yet been said. Ozu takes a fine, humorous look at the world of children in 30s Japan and a corresponding unflinchingly critical one at that of the adults. An early masterpiece by Ozu! (mg)
