Master filmmaker Ozu was, over his long career, a magnificently sensitive observer of family dynamics. “Afternoon,” his last film and a rare excursion into color photography, is a touching, intimate, and slightly melancholic film about an aging father who, with a bit of self-reflection and the advice of close friends, tries to do the right thing by his devoted daughter. Ozu collaborator Chishu Ryu is always a gentle, aching presence, and his subtle portrayal here of Shuhei further distinguishes this poignant, beautifully realized domestic drama.
