Yasujirō Ozu - Ochazuke no aji (Flavor of Green Tea over Rice)

Taeko, a woman with a genteel upbringing, married country-bred Mokichi on the recommendation of her father. She has lived with her husband for several years without ever feeling any great love for him, and her boredom has grown in direct proportion with the affluence of her surroundings. She feels lonely despite her married status, and her heart is constantly burdened by the monotony of it all. Meanwhile, although Mokichi doesn’t show it, he secretly feels the same way as Taeko. Their subtle emotional discord reaches an explosive apex when the issue of marriage arises for Taeko’s niece Setsuko. Mokichi supports the girl in her rejection of a marriage arranged by his wife’s family and this makes the couple even more distant. The husband gets ready to go on a job and because of a mishap is unable to tell his wife that, knowing himself to be far away, he understands the deep nature of her love in spite of social conventions.

Following his previous work Bakushu Ozu drastically shifted his focus to depict the nature of love between a middle-aged married couple, and in addition to its mellow taste, it adopts a lighthearted approach with an abundantly comedic touch reminiscent of the director’s renowned Shukujo wa nani o wasureta ka. As the title suggests, it discovers domestic bliss in the taste of green tea over rice, which happens to be savored by a mature husband and wife whose relationship is in jeopardy due to their different upbringings and personalities.