The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice

One of the most sublime films from Yasujiro Ozu, a master of quiet domestic dramas and comedies, the 1952 drama The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice serves up a portrait of a marriage on the verge of falling apart. Headstrong wife Taeko (Michiyo Kogure) routinely lies to her husband Mokichi (Shin Saburi), an easygoing, unexciting executive, and makes fun of him while out with her friends. When Taeko's 22-year-old niece Setsuko (Keiko Tsushima) refuses to enter into a marriage arranged by her parents, she points to her aunt's stifled, unhappy situation as evidence for her decision. Ozu has been called the "most Japanese" of Japanese directors for his measured style and observation of distinctly Japanese routines and domestic spaces. This film offers a glimpse of a culture in transition after World War II, with a mix of Japanese and Western conventions (from business suits to baseball games) within a story of a young woman rebelling against tradition. But it also takes a subtle, sublime turn in the final act, an understated scene between Mokichi and Taeko sharing a simple late meal. Criterion presents the film's home video debut in a new 4K restoration, with extras including Ozu’s 1937 film What Did the Lady Forget?, a video essay by film scholar David Bordwell, the new documentary Ozu & Noda on the director's longtime collaboration with screenwriter Kogo Noda, and a booklet with an essay by scholar Junji Yoshida. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)