There Was a Father - Chichi ariki

The single father and teacher Shuhei always strives to be an exemplary educator and father. However, his sense of self is shaken when one of his students dies during a school trip. Consumed by guilt, he leaves the teaching profession and returns to his hometown with his young son Ryohei. When Ryohei enters middle school, Shuhei takes a job in Tokyo to finance his son’s education. Over the years, their relationship remains distant, as Shuhei is convinced that sacrifices are necessary to secure a good future for Ryohei.

This sensitive portrait of a father-son relationship explores the tension between personal desires and societal duties against the backdrop of the Pacific War. The film is regarded as an early masterpiece by Yasujiro Ozu, in which he establishes his distinctive storytelling style, subtly yet powerfully revealing the emotional inner life of his characters.