The Only Son

The Only Son

1936 · 87 min · ★ 7.4 · Drama

A rural widow sends her only son to Tokyo to receive a better education. Years later, she visits him and finds he has become a night school teacher struggling to support his wife and son.

Directed by Yasujirō Ozu · Written by Yasujirō Ozu

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 21m together

Both from Yasujirō Ozu.

More from Yasujirō OzuSee all →

Unending AdvanceUnending Advance · 1937
Unending Advance
10.01937
MovieDrama
One of Uchida’s early sound films, Unending Advance is based on a curious story by Yasujiro Ozu, in which an examination of the quotidian problems of a middle-aged salaryman and his family segues into an idyllic dream of an implausible future. The surviving print, although incomplete, offers an essential glimpse into Uchida’s prewar period, when he was associated more with realist dramas than with the period films that dominated his work after the war.
College Is a Nice PlaceCollege Is a Nice Place · 1936
College Is a Nice Place
9.01936
MovieComedy
In a Tokyo boarding house a group of students and recent graduates struggle to complete their studies and find jobs. Considered a lost film.
Tokyo StoryTokyo Story · 1953
Tokyo Story
8.21953
MovieDrama
The elderly Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, take the long journey from their small seaside village to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their elder son, Koichi, a doctor, and their daughter, Shige, a hairdresser, don't have much time to spend with their aged parents, and so it falls to Noriko, the widow of their younger son who was killed in the war, to keep her in-laws company.
Late SpringLate Spring · 1949
Late Spring
8.01949
MovieDrama
Noriko is perfectly happy living at home with her widowed father, Shukichi, and has no plans to marry -- that is, until her aunt Masa convinces Shukichi that unless he marries off his 27-year-old daughter soon, she will likely remain alone for the rest of her life. When Noriko resists Masa's matchmaking, Shukichi is forced to deceive his daughter and sacrifice his own happiness to do what he believes is right.
An Autumn AfternoonAn Autumn Afternoon · 1962
An Autumn Afternoon
7.91962
MovieDrama
Widower Shuhei Hirayama's caretaker is his 24-year-old daughter, Michiko. Gradually, he comes to realize that Michiko should not be obliged to look after him for the rest of his life, so he arranges a marriage for her.
Early SummerEarly Summer · 1951
Early Summer
7.91951
MovieDrama
In postwar Tokyo, Noriko lives with her extended family. Although she enjoys her career and her social life, her more traditional family worries about her single marital status at the advanced age of 28. 40-year-old business associate Takako proposes, Noriko's family press her into accepting, but when her widowed childhood friend Kenkichi returns to the neighborhood, she finds her heart leading in another direction.
Wings of DesireWings of Desire · 1987
Wings of Desire
7.81987
MovieDramaFantasy
Two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion, the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds — with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk — that it might be possible for him to take human form.
Late AutumnLate Autumn · 1960
Late Autumn
7.71960
MovieDramaComedy
A woman and her daughter are each forced to contend with an increasing pressure to marry, particularly from three men who knew her late husband.
Good MorningGood Morning · 1959
Good Morning
7.71959
MovieComedyFamily
Two boys beg their parents for a television set, nagging them until all patience is lost. The parents order the boys to be quiet and the boys do exactly that--refusing to utter a word. The boys' silence ultimately puts the whole neighborhood into turmoil.
Tokyo TwilightTokyo Twilight · 1957
Tokyo Twilight
7.71957
MovieDrama
Two sisters learn about the existence of their long-lost biological mother, but the younger is unable to accept the fact that she was abandoned as a child.
I Was Born, But...I Was Born, But... · 1932
I Was Born, But...
7.51932
MovieComedyDrama
Brothers Keiji and Ryoichi move to a new neighborhood in the Tokyo suburbs after their father, an office clerk, is promoted. The boys join the local gang as lowly new kids and emerge as natural leaders after defeating a bully. While visiting the home of their father's boss, the brothers witness the ridicule their father endures to please his superior. Angry and embarrassed, the boys find their naive ideas about power being challenged.
The Flavor of Green Tea Over RiceThe Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice · 1952
The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice
7.51952
MovieDrama
The arranged marriage between a capricious woman from Tokyo high society and a quiet rustic man is tested by a marital crisis.
The End of SummerThe End of Summer · 1961
The End of Summer
7.51961
MovieDrama
The family of an older man who runs a small sake brewery become concerned with his finances and his health after they discover him visiting an old mistress from his youth.
Early SpringEarly Spring · 1956
Early Spring
7.51956
MovieDramaRomance
A young salaryman and his wife struggle within the confines of their passionless relationship while he embarks on an extramarital affair.
Floating WeedsFloating Weeds · 1959
Floating Weeds
7.51959
MovieDrama
A theater troupe master's visit with his old flame unintentionally sets off a chain of unexpected events with devastating consequences.
Equinox FlowerEquinox Flower · 1958
Equinox Flower
7.41958
MovieComedyDrama
Wataru's outwardly liberal views on marriage are severely tested when his daughter declares her love for a coworker and is adamant to live her own way, instead of agreeing to an arranged marriage. Outwitted by his female relatives, Hirayama stubbornly refuses to admit defeat.

More Like This

Forrest GumpForrest Gump · 1994
Forrest Gump
8.51994
MovieComedyDrama
A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.
American BeautyAmerican Beauty · 1999
American Beauty
8.01999
MovieDrama
Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.
12 Mighty Orphans12 Mighty Orphans · 2021
12 Mighty Orphans
7.22021
MovieHistoryDrama
Haunted by his mysterious past, a devoted high school football coach leads a scrawny team of orphans to the state championship during the Great Depression and inspires a broken nation along the way.
My Life Without MeMy Life Without Me · 2003
My Life Without Me
6.12003
MovieDramaRomance
A fatally ill mother with only two months to live creates a list of things she wants to do before she dies without telling her family of her illness.
Italian for BeginnersItalian for Beginners · 2000
Italian for Beginners
6.42000
MovieComedyDrama
Several lonely hearts in a semi-provincial suburb of a town in Denmark use a beginner's course in Italian as the platform to meet the romance of their lives. The film, which unspools the connections and family drama shared between the students, complies with several aesthetic principles of Dogme 95 movement.
The Life Aquatic with Steve ZissouThe Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou · 2004
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
7.12004
MovieAdventureComedy
Renowned oceanographer Steve Zissou has sworn vengeance upon the rare shark that devoured a member of his crew. In addition to his regular team, he is joined on his boat by Ned, a man who believes Zissou to be his father, and Jane, a journalist pregnant by a married man. They travel the sea, all too often running into pirates and, perhaps more traumatically, various figures from Zissou's past, including his estranged wife, Eleanor.
My Own Private IdahoMy Own Private Idaho · 1991
My Own Private Idaho
7.01991
MovieDrama
In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor. Together, the two travel from Portland, Oregon to Idaho and finally to the coast of Italy in a quest to find Mike's estranged mother. Along the way they turn tricks for money and drugs, eventually attracting the attention of a wealthy benefactor and sexual deviant.
The Green MileThe Green Mile · 1999
The Green Mile
8.51999
MovieFantasyDrama
A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.
MonsterMonster · 2003
Monster
7.22003
MovieCrimeDrama
In 1989, prostitute Aileen Wuornos befriends and enters a relationship with a young woman named Selby. Determined to straighten out her life, Aileen's limited education lands her back on the corner. She's raped by a trick, who she kills. A string of murder and robbery follows that ultimately leads Aileen to becoming America's first female serial killer.
Live and BecomeLive and Become · 2005
Live and Become
7.42005
MovieDrama
In 1980, the black Falashas in Ethiopia are recognised as genuine Jews and are secretly carried to Israel. The day before the transport the son of a Jewish mother dies. In his place and with his name (Schlomo) she takes a Christian 9-year-old boy.
Benny's VideoBenny's Video · 1992
Benny's Video
6.91992
MovieCrimeDrama
A 14-year-old video enthusiast obsessed with violent films decides to make one of his own and show it to his parents, with tragic results.
Golden DoorGolden Door · 2006
Golden Door
6.52006
MovieHistoryDrama
The story is set at the beginning of the 20th century in Sicily. Salvatore, a very poor farmer, and a widower, decides to emigrate to the US with all his family, including his old mother. Before they embark, they meet Lucy. She is supposed to be a British lady and wants to come back to the States. Lucy, or Luce as Salvatore calls her, for unknown reasons wants to marry someone before to arrive to Ellis Island in New York. Salvatore accepts the proposal. Once they arrive in Ellis Island they spend the quarantine period trying to pass the examinations to be admitted to the States. Tests are not so simple for poor farmers coming from Sicily. Their destiny is in the hands of the custom officers.
We Own the NightWe Own the Night · 2007
We Own the Night
6.72007
MovieDramaCrime
A New York nightclub manager tries to save his brother and father from Russian mafia hitmen.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter