Tôkyô sonata (2008)

Director:

Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Writers:

Kiyoshi Kurosawa (screenplay)
Max Mannix (writer)

Release Date:

27 September 2008 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Every family has its secrets. [USA release]

Plot:

An ordinary Japanese family slowly disintegrates after its patriarch loses his job at a prominent company. |

Plot Keywords:

Japanese Family | Food Distribution | Stolen Car | Loss Of Job | Mother Son Relationship

Awards:

9 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Teruyuki Kagawa	...	Ryûhei Sasaki
Kyôko Koizumi	...	Megumi Sasaki
Yû Koyanagi	...	Takashi Sasaki
Inowaki Kai	...	Kenji Sasaki
Haruka Igawa	...	Kaneko-san
Kanji Tsuda	...	Kurosu
Kazuya Kojima	...	Kobayashi-san
Kôji Yakusho	...	Dorobô
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jason Gray	...	Amerika no ashigaru

Also Known As:

Tokyo Sonata (International: English title) (USA) (festival title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and brief strong language.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

Japan | Netherlands | Hong Kong

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:13 | USA:PG-13 | South Korea:12 | Singapore:PG | Hong Kong:IIB | UK:12

Company:

Django Film

Soundtrack:

Claire de Lune

Not Kurosawa's best

Kiyoshi Kurosawa scored with evocative films like EYES OF THE SPIDER and CURE, but TOKYO SONATA falls into the trap of easy allegory in its depressing story of a family that splinters apart under the pressure of greed.

Using a low budget and less-known actors (save perhaps by the surprise appearance of Kurosawa regular Koji Yakusha), the plot unfolds slowly, using grainy photography to underline a feeling of economic decline. The film sometimes seems almost random - which may have been intended, but its general pattern becomes clear only after you've reflected on it for a while.

Grim, unpleasant, and frankly rather flabby in the storytelling department.