Where to Watch I Was Born, But... (1932) in the US

What it's about

The Yoshi family - husband and wife Kennesuke and Haha, a middle manager at an office and a housewife respectively, and their two adolescent sons Keiji and Ryoichi - have just moved from the inner city to the suburbs of Tokyo, into the same neighborhood where Kennesuke's boss, Iwasaki, and his family live. The boys get off to a rocky start in their new neighborhood as they end up being bullied by a group of similarly aged boys, led by slightly bigger Kamekichi. Keiji and Ryoichi even secretly play hooky from school, not wanting to have to confront the bullies. After befriending Kozou, the older delivery boy at the local store who ends up being their protector of sorts, Keiji and Ryoichi are able to stand up to their tormentors to become the ones among the boys who call the shots. Their newfound pride takes a hit when they end up being at the same social gathering as their father and his coworkers at Iwasaki's house, and see that their father is a proverbial apple-polisher toward Iwasaki and not the important man they previously believed him to be. Kennesuke knows how his behavior looks to his sons, but justifies it to himself by probably being further ahead in life than they would be otherwise. The Yoshis will have to reconcile these two issues for harmony to return within their family.

Cast and crew

Director

Yasujirô Ozu

Writer

Akira Fushimi, Geibei Ibushiya, Yasujirô Ozu

Starring

Tatsuo Saitô, Tomio Aoki, Mitsuko Yoshikawa

Details

Release date

Jun 3, 1932

Language

None, Japanese

Country

Japan

Awards

1 win total

Where to Watch I Was Born, But... (1932) in the US — common questions

Where to watch I Was Born, But... in the United States?

I Was Born, But... is available with a subscription or free with a participating library card in the United States. Watch the movie with a subscription on Kanopy (HD) and The Criterion Channel (HD). Watch the movie free with a participating library card on Kanopy (HD).

Can I stream I Was Born, But... or do I have to rent it in the United States?

Watch the movie with a subscription on Kanopy (HD) and The Criterion Channel (HD).

Can I watch I Was Born, But... for free in the United States?

Watch the movie free with a participating library card on Kanopy (HD).