It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Ozu's remake of his 1934 silent film establishes its own independence and importance with the opening shot, which consists of a lighthouse in the background and a sake bottle in the foreground against a backdrop of a gorgeous blue sky. Within this singular shot, Ozu shows the beauty and artistry which color film allowed him to partake of as well as the further establishment of his unique visual style, enhanced by the now limitless color palette he could enjoy.In this case, a simple story about a traveling kabuki troupe visiting a small seaside town reveals certain traits and themes which appear in almost every Ozu film. A man trying to reconnect with his old lover and son affects his current mistress and the end result is a quiet, pensive evocation of looking at human relationships and life itself. For any fan of Ozu's previous work, this film is perhaps the culmination of his craft.

A number of people seem to have difficulty with Ozu films, thinking them slowly-paced, static, or plain boring. But with a little use of patience and reflection, Floating Weeds is brilliantly appealing. Let me expand upon one particular angle that might make this film more accessible.Other reviewers have already commented on the films beauty in color, the pace of normal, real life in a seaside village, and the intimacy of the film. Others have also mentioned in negative commentary that they really didn't like any of the characters. This point, actually, is the reason why the film for me passes beyond "good" to "brilliant."Although the characters have charm and appeal, they also have many unappealing flaws: Sumiko's jealous vengeance, Kayo's blind following of malicious orders, Komajuro's blatant concealing of the truth of his being Kiyoshi's father and subsequent pathetic attempt to reenter his life and become his acting father, and more. But this made me a more active audience member--much like real theater does--made me want to reach out and grab the actors, saying "You fools! What are you doing!?" You can see them make the poor choices that lead to recklessness of Sumiko and the breakups of Kayo and Kiyoshi as well as Komajuro and Kiyoshi, for example. The characters seem to think that they are trapped, that it is their fate. And Komajuro and Sumiko feel that resignation as they come to accept each other and their flaws at the end. But for me, it was a wake-up call that moved me out of my seat. The major human relationship problems could have been helped with better choices. The characters give up too easily on trying to understand each other. Instead of trying to save face by hiding their problems or violently repressing them, Komajiro could have been forthcoming about his past with Sumiko, Komajuro and Kiyoshi's mother could have gone straight to the truth with their son about Kiyoshi's father and about Sumiko's jealous rage in getting Kayo to seduce him. These choices seem to be more difficult to carry out, but they would have nonetheless eased the tension of the plot and averted catastrophe. Communication and striving to understand each other, even the ones most important to us, is not an easy thing.By setting up these struggles on the screen, Ozu empowers his audience to take their own lives beyond that of the characters limited to the fated script. I think it's the colorful beauty of the scenes, the serenity of the seaside village, the fact that the characters have likable aspects as well as all-too-human flaws, and the masterful construction of the film as a whole that helps drive this process. Movies do well to inspire us, but they don't always do so by showing us flawless heroes to live up to or tell us what the moral of the story is. Sometimes, we learn by understanding how others have failed while coming to our own conclusions on how they could have fared better.

The movie flows. It has an ease about itself. The background music ebbs and flows. The camera weaves a compelling visual. The colors and expressions and movements – all come alive together to create a great movie. The movie moves at a slow pace – like a hot drowsy afternoon. A story which spans over years unravels in a couple of hours, but it seems slow, appropriately slow. Nothing is rushed, even the movements and the dialog delivery. Every emotion is expressed and suspended briefly before the next one appears. The suspension is subtle. Desire, relationships, drama, intrigue, conflict, hope – all appear intertwined.

This was a lovely little Japanese film about an acting troop's visit to a small town. One of the troop's members is an older man who fathered a child in this town many years ago and it has remained a secret. His arrival is greeted by the boy and his mother as a visit from an uncle, not his father. These relationships and the relationship between the man and other women in the troop are interesting. While not the very best Japanese film I've seen, the acting and direction are excellent and this film is well worth your time. However, it is possible that SOME may find the ending somewhat unsatisfying, though I did not feel that way. In other words, the typical Hollywood-style ending is NOT what you get from this movie.This film was originally made by Ozu in 1934--though oddly this version is silent. And the original is nearly identical in many, many ways. Because of this, I actually preferred the remake, though both are well worth seeing.