The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice
A quietly incisive Ozu drama finds renewed tenderness in a strained marriage while a younger woman challenges inherited matrimonial customs.
Overview
A tale of love and understanding unfolds amidst the rigid expectations of society.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- restrained
- wistful
- intimate
- quiet evening
- classic cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly admire Ozu's restrained, subtly moving study of family relationships and the appealing nobility of its central couple, while noting that the arranged-marriage subplot can approach formula comedy.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Taeko's boredom with Mokichi's plainness gradually gives way to a clearer understanding of his loyalty and value.
Setsuko's rebellion against traditional wedding arrangements parallels the older couple's struggle with marital expectations.
Ozu's limited camera movement and attention to everyday movement make pauses, rooms, and ordinary routines emotionally significant.
The Satakes' marriage crisis is intercut with their niece's refusal of an arranged marriage.
Films like The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice, and why
Tokyo Story
restrained domestic drama, postwar Japanese family tensions, and precise observational direction
Late Spring
Ozu's quiet marital and generational conflicts rendered through minimalist, emotionally incisive domestic observation
A Woman Ascends the Stairs
mid-century Japanese marriage drama centered on tradition, family pressure, and understated emotional change
Movie Details
- Director
- Yasujirō Ozu
- Release Date
- 1952-10-01
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (108)
Cast
- Shin Saburi
- Michiyo Kogure
- Koji Tsuruta
- Chikage Awashima
- Keiko Tsushima
- Eijirō Yanagi
- Kuniko Miyake
- Kōji Shitara
- Chishū Ryū
- Yūko Mochizuki
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice about?
- A quietly incisive Ozu drama finds renewed tenderness in a strained marriage while a younger woman challenges inherited matrimonial customs.
- What is The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice.
- What did critics think of The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice?
- Critics broadly admire Ozu's restrained, subtly moving study of family relationships and the appealing nobility of its central couple, while noting that the arranged-marriage subplot can approach formula comedy.
- Which films are like The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice?
- Films with a similar feel include Tokyo Story, Late Spring, and A Woman Ascends the Stairs.
- How long is The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice?
- The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice?
- In United States, The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
