An Autumn Afternoon
(Samma no Aji)

Screening on Film

Directed by Yasujiro Ozu.
With Chishu Ryu, Shima Iwashita, Shinichiro Mikami.
Japan, 1962, 16mm, color, 112 min.
Japanese with English subtitles.

Undoubtedly influenced by the death, during filming, of his mother, with whom he had lived all his life, Ozu’s final film is a serene meditation on aging and loneliness. Having arranged the marriage of his only daughter, a widower becomes painfully aware of his advanced age and his isolation. Solace is sought in alcohol and drunken comradeship. Recalling Late Autumn and Early Spring, Ozu’s film is simple and sublime. "Shot in lovely colors... Ozu at his most breathtakingly assured." (Tom Milne)