‘The Ozu Diaries’: An engaging look at the man behind the myth
Daniel Raim’s “The Ozu Diaries” is an enlightening portrait of Yasujiro Ozu and the experiences that shaped him as a man and artist. | © 2025 Adama Films; Photo: Shochiku Co., Ltd.
Oct 6, 2026
The director of films once considered too domestic for foreign export, Yasujiro Ozu (1903-1963) now sits high in the world cinematic pantheon. From his signature low camera angles to the “pillow” shots that serve as postcard-like pauses between scenes, his technique has been obsessively analyzed but remains sui generis.
That, however, is not the main subject of the splendid Daniel Raim documentary “The Ozu Diaries.” Drawing from Ozu’s journals and essays as well as other archival materials, it focuses more on the man and artist than his aesthetics.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information,
quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.