--- title: "Floating Weeds: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/floating-weeds/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/floating-weeds" critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Floating Weeds (1959): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 9 reviews: 6 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Floating Weeds, finding considerable emotional force beneath Ozu’s restrained style. Praise centres on the carefully composed, motionless shots and expressive use of colour, which the reviews connect to the characters’ turmoil and the film’s melancholy. Several accounts also stress its humanity: the camera allows people to speak or remain silent without pressing a judgement upon them. Gentle comedy and the father’s pride in his son help explain why some critics find it so moving. The spread of assessments is wide, though the readable reviews offer few detailed objections. Empire provides the clearest dissent, judging it one of Ozu’s weaker works while still finding it worthwhile, particularly for its seaside atmosphere and Kazuo Miyagawa’s photography. The two assessments classed as mixed have no readable review text available, so their reservations cannot be established. The disagreement is therefore clearer in the ratings than in the supplied critical arguments. ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 February 2012. Brody offers an appreciative reading of Ozu’s film and its emotional force. He singles out its unusually bright, flamboyant color palette and the turmoil conveyed beneath its restraint. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/dvd-of-the-week-floating-weeds) ## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole Rating 4/5. 21 May 2024. Cole praises both films as indispensable, while noting the remake’s especially haunting melancholy. He singles out the gradual fading of color as a powerful expression of the troupe’s defeat. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/a-story-of-floating-weeds-floating-weeds-two-films-by-yasujiro-ozu-blu-ray-review/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 3 May 2004. Phipps praises Ozu’s films as humane, quietly absorbing works that benefit from his refined style. He singles out the camera’s generous neutrality for letting characters speak or remain silent without inviting judgment. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/a-story-of-floating-weeds-1798199542) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 August 2003. French gives the film an affirmative assessment, calling it vibrant despite its austere style. He singles out Ozu’s carefully composed, motionless shots and the film’s universal themes. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0,,1011300,00.html) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 25 November 1970. The headline frames the film as a sensitive, elevating work, indicating a positive verdict. It singles out Ozu’s ability to lift the everyday. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/25/archives/screen-floating-weedsozus-sensitive-work-lifts-the-everyday.html) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 68/100 (inferred from the text). The page appears to be a Great Movies review, but its text is unavailable. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be determined. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-floating-weeds-1959) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The available page metadata provides no readable critical verdict. It notes the film’s unusual use of colour, but the article text is unavailable. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/floating-weeds) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Parkinson considers it one of Ozu’s weaker works, though still worthwhile. He praises its sustained seaside atmosphere and Kazuo Miyagawa’s photography. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/floating-weeds-review/) ## The Skinny — Alan Bett Rating ★★★★★. 30 November 2012. Bett finds the film deeply moving, with its gentle comedy giving way to emotional force. He praises Ozu’s static compositions and highlights the heartbreak of the father’s pride in his son. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/floating-weeds) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/floating-weeds.md