The Yoshi family has just moved to the suburbs of Tokyo. Kennosuke, the father, works at a local company and decides to settle near the home of his direct boss, Mr. Iwasaki. His two young sons, Keiji and Ryoichi, must adjust to a new school, where they quickly face bullying. At first, they idolize their father—but that admiration fades when they witness his submissive behavior toward his superior. Shocked by the gap between their idealized image and reality, the boys respond in protest with a hunger strike.

I Was Born, But... is one of Yasujirō Ozu’s earliest masterpieces and a subtle blend of family comedy and social critique. Released in 1932, the film is a quiet, understated story that captures childhood innocence colliding with the adult world of compromise, ambition, and humiliation.

In contrast to the slapstick style of Western silent comedy, Ozu’s approach is minimalist and deeply human. His humor arises from observation, silence, and small gestures rather than pratfalls or exaggeration. Through the children’s eyes, we witness the erosion of paternal heroism, a theme that transcends culture and time.

While tender in tone, the film is laced with a quiet sense of melancholy, a recurring element in Ozu’s work. Themes such as social pressure, professional inferiority, bullying, and the illusion of authority are gently woven into a slice-of-life narrative. It’s an early example of Ozu’s “home drama” realism, which he would later perfect in Tokyo Story (1953). Even at this stage, his mastery of framing, rhythm, and emotional nuance is remarkable.

The film is a wonderful way to understand the origins of Ozu's realism in a tender movie that combines compelling themes such as respect, family, life changes, and ambition with a gentle tone of comedy. 

Trivia

• The film holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 91 on Metacritic, reflecting universal acclaim.

• It was ranked 183rd in the 2012 Sight & Sound critics’ poll of the greatest films ever made.

• Critic A. O. Scott called it “a small masterpiece, perfect in design and execution,” noting its seamless blend of charm and profundity.

• The original Japanese title (生れてはみたけれど) can also be translated as “I Was Born, Yes, But…”, capturing a subtle tone of modesty and existential reflection.

• Film critic Stephen Amos observed the film’s underlying darkness, highlighting the inevitability of disillusionment—a key theme throughout Ozu’s career.

The Soundtrack

I was born, but... allowed Caspervek to get into Japanese music and build a score that combines classical elements of traditional Japanese folklore with other elements from Western music and the usual style of the band. Thus, the pentatonic scales also embrace jazz music, minimalism and the language of film music from the 1950s.