Record of a Tenement Gentleman

In RECORD OF A TENEMENT GENTLEMAN, Ozu’s first film after the Second World War, a homeless boy wanders the streets of a deprived neighbourhood of Tokyo in post-war Japan, where nobody wants to take care of him. After a draw, he is entrusted to Tane, a grumpy middle-aged widow who is allergic to children. Forced to take him in, she gradually grows fond of him. This marvellous, bittersweet neorealist chronicle is tinged with burlesque and comic touches, and exemplifies the singularity and poetry of Ozu’s work, simple yet powerful, made with modesty and restraint.

Yasujiro Ozu (1903-1963) is one of the masters of Japanese and world cinema of the twentieth century, and his work remains universal and timeless, capturing the human condition and its complex relationships. It is always a wonder to see Ozu on the big screen, and we are thrilled to present this beautifully restored film.

(Marie-Pierre Richard, East Asia Film Festival Ireland & EAFFI Discoveries)