AllMovie

Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice is a subtle, finely nuanced character study that, like most of Yasujiro Ozu's films, is a bit too rarefied for many whose heritage is not closely linked to Japan. This is a shame, for while Green Tea is not one of Ozu's masterpieces, it is a keenly perceptive examination of a marriage -- the demands it places upon its partners, the difficulty of maintaining communication, and the feelings of anger, melancholy, and despair that exist side by side with the moments of warmth and joy. Ozu, who is famous for his static camera, which he uses with expert mastery, actually employs a somewhat more fluid style herein, with a number of tracking shots used to quite good effect. This most delicate of directors finds beautiful poetry using the simplest, most minimal means -- and this extends to his work with his actors, as witnessed in the fine performances of Michiyo Kogure and Shin Saburi; both of these actors know how to let the audience in on the storms and tumults that can rage beneath the calm.