Description:Set in contemporary Tokyo, TOKYO SONATA is a story of an ordinary Japanese family of four. The father, Ryuhei Sasaki, like any other Japanese businessman, is faithfully devoted to his work. His wife Megumi manages the house and struggles to retain a bond with Takashi, her oldest son who is in college, and the youngest, Kenji, a sensitSet in contemporary Tokyo, TOKYO SONATA is a story of an ordinary Japanese family of four. The father, Ryuhei Sasaki, like any other Japanese businessman, is faithfully devoted to his work. His wife Megumi manages the house and struggles to retain a bond with Takashi, her oldest son who is in college, and the youngest, Kenji, a sensitive boy in elementary school. The quiet unraveling of the family begins when Ryuhei unexpectedly loses his job. Facing completely unfamiliar circumstances, he decides not to tell his family and begins his lonely sojourn into the world of the secretly unemployed. Along with many other businessmen that save face by concealing their shameful reality from family and friends, Ryuhei pretends to go to work each day, when, in fact, he kills time in libraries and parks. His lies and torment go unnoticed by Takashi, who becomes increasingly despondent and alienated from his family, and Megumi, who can no longer summon the will to keep her family together. Meanwhile, Kenji’s journey begins to mirror his father’s solitary plight. Although his father vehemently refuses to allow Kenji to play the piano, the boy uses his school lunch money to pay for clandestine lessons. What began as lies created as means to survive, gradually leads the family into unforeseeable destruction. In the hands of director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, renowned for his suspenseful films, this story probes the dark side of human nature and the social problems that confront contemporary Japan. Kurosawa’s portrayal of the breakdown and redemption of Japan’s “ordinary family” is every bit as gripping as his previous works.... (more)(less)
"19.5.11.
TV
Kiyoshi Kurosawan Tokyo Sonata kiinnosti minua verrattain vähän - sen verran toki että tiesin Masters of Cineman julkaisseen kyseisen filmin - kunnes lukaisin eräästä teoksesta ylistävän arvion hänen kauhuelokuvastaan Pulse. Verrattain naurettavalta tuntunut filmi vaikutti siltikin kiehtovalta ja kiinnostus ohjaajan muutakin tuotantoa kohtaan nousi.
Tokyo Sonata kuuluu samaan perinteeseen kuin lukuisat mainiot japanilaiset nykydraamat eli tutkaillaan hiljaisuuden, pitkien"
"22.5
Yle Areena/Teema
Rewatch ****½ -> ****
Kerran kun tuli katsottua taas kertaalleen Kitanon Boiling Point niin tuli taas hinku vetää lisää japanilaista taidehomostelua kurkusta alas.
Alkupuoli lupailee varsin loistavaa elokuvaa. Etenkin tuon nuoren pojan kiinnostus pianonsoittoa kohtaan toimii hienosti muun juonen kanssa. Muutenkin pääsin yllättävän hyvin samaistumaan leffassa esiintyviin henkilöhahmoihin. Oikein harmittaa kun loppupuoliskolle on isketty tuo ihme melko syvält"
"20.5 TV
Kivan tragikoominen esitys yhden perijapanilaisen perheen elämästä. Ympärillä tapahtuu paskaa, eikä itselläkään hirveän kaksisesti mene. Loppua kohden ongelmat ja murheet vain kasaantuu, joten sinänsä loppu on hieman yllätyksellinen, mutta toimiva. Draama ja näyttelijät toimivat loppuun asti moiteetta."
"19.5.
Rauhallinen ja yllättävän kevyt verrattuna vakavaan aiheeseensa. Alkupuolisko toimii aivan täydellisesti, mutta lopussa kidnappausjuoni ei ole muun elokuvan tasoa. Näyttelijöistä pidin paljon ja surkuhupaisat tapahtumat ja välillä tuleva huumori toimivat."
Spike Marshall added this to a list 2 years, 2 months ago
"Home - New
Fantastic movie which focuses on the deconstruction of a Japanese family as it's father figure finds himself unemployed. Trapped in a hinterland of unemployed salarymen the father desperately tries to maintain the illusion of his status. Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa who has a background in horror and cult Japanese cinema this drama operates on a heightened level of reality at times, using it's small focus to focus on the broader issue of the global economic crisis. A few twists and t"
knight_ added this to a list 2 years, 2 months ago
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