Heiners Filmseiten – I Was Born, But... (en)

I Was Born, But... (Otona no miru ehon – Umarete wa mita keredo – 大人の見る絵本生れてはみたけれど)

German title: Ich wurde geboren, aber ...
Francaise title: Gosses de Tokyo
Spain title: He nacido, pero... (Y sin embargo hemos nacido)
Greek title: Γεννηθηκα, αλλα...
Russian title: Родиться-то я родился, но...
Original title: Otona no miru ehon – Umarete wa mita keredo – 大人の見る絵本生れてはみたけれど

Youth drama – Japan
Production year: 1932
Movie length: 89 minutes

Director: Yasujiro Ozu
Writer: Akira Fushimi, Geibei Ibushija, James Maki
Cinematograph: Hideo Shigehara

Movie description:

The young brothers Ryoichi and Keiji become the leaders of a gang of kids in their neighborhood. Their father is an office clerk who tries for advancement by playing up his boss. When the boys visit the boss’ house with their father, they discover that their dad has been making a fool of himself to please his boss, who’s son is an outwitted member of the boys’ gang. The brothers’ revolt claiming that hierarchy should be based on ability, not on social background. Ozu’s charming film is a social satire that draws from the antics of childhood as well as the tragedy of maturity.

In the 30s, a low middle-class family composed of the father, the mother and two little sons has just moved to a suburb of Tokyo. The two brothers have some sort of adaptation problem with the kids in their neighborhood, but they feel protected with their beloved father, and they become leaders of the gang. Their father is a clerk in an office, and his director lives in the same neighborhood, and he tries to be promoted in his job being a servile flatterer of his boss. One night, the boys find that his father has a silly behavior in his job to please his boss, and they lose the respect for their father, questioning him why he can not be the director of the company.

Boy Actors