Special Series

The Only Son

一人息子

Directed by: Yasujirō Ozu
1936 / 82 minutes / PG

“Tragedy in life starts with the bondage of parent and child.”

Widowed silk worker Tsune Nonomiya devotes her life to giving her only son, Ryōsuke, a chance at something greater in life. Spurred on by an encouraging teacher and his mother’s financial support, Ryōsuke is determined to fulfil his mother’s aspiration for him and become a man of status and success.  But when Tsune travels to Tokyo to visit her grown son, she is faced with the quiet disappointment of a life far from what she had envisioned for Ryōsuke. Will the opportunities awarded to him by his mother’s sacrifices prove too heavy a burden to bear?  

Set in both 1920s rural Japan and the rapidly modernising streets of 1930s Tokyo, The Only Son is a tender exploration of the bond between mother and son, framed by the hardships of urban life and the relentless struggle against rigid class boundaries. Filled with director Ozu’s signature still shots and subtle contemplative style, his first sound film is a poignant forerunner to his later masterpiece Tokyo Story (1953). To this day, The Only Son remains strikingly relevant in its deeply human portrayal of familial sacrifice, and the generational consequences of social and economic aspiration. 

Audience warning: the content is mild in impact

Tuesday 28th October
18:00

National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra

Sunday 9th November
14:00

ACMI, Melbourne

Saturday 15th November
14:00

Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney

Saturday 13th December
11:00

Walk-ins only. Doors open 15 minutes prior to the screening.

QAGOMA, Brisbane

Wednesday 17th December
18:00

Walk-ins only. Doors open 15 minutes prior to the screening.

QAGOMA, Brisbane

Screens in: Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane

Director: Yasujirō Ozu

Cast: Shin'ichi Himori, Chōko Iida, Masao Hayama and Yoshiko Tsubouchi

Genre: Special Series

Language(s): Japanese with English subtitles

Format: 16mm b&w