Record of a Tenement Gentleman

A widow, Tane, reluctantly shelters a young boy for the night when her neighbour discovers him lost and alone in the city. On further investigation, it seems that the boy's father, a carpenter, has abandoned him out of poverty. Tane tries to do the same, but the boy will have none of it. They strike a deal - as long as he stops wetting his bed, he can stay. This is Ozu in optimistic mood, which is not to say that loss and resignation don't figure in large part (no film-maker ever had a surer grasp of the melancholy of everyday things), just that here the generosity of spirit seems irresistible - and irresistibly comic. (And Chishu Ryu sings!)