User Reviews

A Haunting Elegy of Middle-Aged Ruin and the Hollow Echoes of Youth250419 (3.8)A middle-aged man crumbles while guarding an empty pride, and a hollow youth is weary of systemic violence. The prosperity of a metropolis built upon the failures of these souls is a tragedy not unique to Tokyo. "I know how you feel"—it’s a sentiment that barely keeps the isolated breathing. The film’s ending, though harsh in its demand for strength, feels inevitable because we cannot simply stop speaking of hope. While the metaphors are simple and overt, the weight of the message makes them profoundly embraceable. We follow the Sasaki family: Ryuhei, a salaryman at a healthcare company who is suddenly laid off at 46; Megumi, his lonely housewife; Takashi, the eldest son who enlists in the U.S. military "for world happiness" out of boredom with Japan; and Kenji, the youngest who secretly uses his lunch money for piano lessons.Ryuhei’s descent is agonizing. Unable to admit his unemployment, he joins a growing crowd of "fake" salarymen in suits lingering in parks. His friend Kuroos, who lived the same lie, eventually succumbs to a family suicide pact—a grim foreshadowing of the stakes involved. The generational gap is wide; Ryuhei tries to maintain a patriarchal authority he no longer possesses, resorting to physical violence when he discovers Kenji’s secret piano lessons. Meanwhile, Megumi, feeling invisible, is inadvertently "kidnapped" by a clumsy burglar in a red convertible—the very car she dreamed of owning—leading her to a literal and metaphorical shoreline of self-destruction. The family’s individual collapses—Kenji’s arrest for fare evasion, Ryuhei’s job as a mall janitor being exposed, and Megumi’s encounter with the sea—all converge back at the dinner table. The final scene, where Kenji performs a breathtaking piano piece for his audition, brings a glimmer of redemption. As the music fills the room, it washes over the wreckage of the "old guard" represented by Ryuhei, leaving him in tears. It is a powerful reminder that while the world may discard the obsolete, beauty can still sprout from the ruins of a broken home.

I must say that I went into this film in the dark. I had an idea of its plot because I obviously read what it was about to get interested in it, but I was completely unaware of how it was going to unfold and boy was it a revelation. Tokyo Sonata at first seems like a relatively simple drama about a family struggling with the economic crisis. The premise up to that point seems to be rather traditional. The father has lost his job and he doesn't want his family to know, and it seems like that problem will only bottle up the tension, and that makes it more than likely that other predicaments are about to be unleashed, which may seem predictable and to some extent it is, but when the moment comes when you might think you know where the story is going, Kiyoshi Kurosawa shows you just how wrong you are. Why? Because the film opens up a much more interesting issue that throws away the initial dilemma, but exposes an even more serious one. One that gets aggravated when we reach the conclusion, because we have no way out and no closure. The family structure is still in place, but the journey has revealed that it's only a facade on the verge of collapse.

This is a somewhat clever film about members of the same family who have their own secrets to hide - not wanting to tell relatives what their doing for fear of judgement. It provides an insight into male shame and dignity perhaps...male peer pressue in Japanese culture. Its a pretty low key film, with some thought provoking dialogue. Its not exactly a gripping watch but I liked the way the plot progressed. If you can stick with it, its worth seeing, though it's not exactly an entirely impactful film, it is thought provoking and it's still worth seeing. Quirky, mundane, interesting. Not great but definitely not bad, it may provide some food for thought.

An expertly crafted and haunting family drama from the former master of J-horror. Here he proofs the harsh realities of life are scarier and more surreal than anything paranormal.

"Tokyo Sonata" is microcosm of Japan's "Lost Decade" that uses an average middle-class family to tell a story that challenges tradition and extols renewal and discovery. I admit that when I received the DVD in the mail I thought the title was "Tokyo Santa" so maybe anything would have been a pleasant surprise, but I genuinely feel this film is excellent. The acting was more-than-believable, even with two youth actors. What I enjoyed most, perhaps what I like about foreign films in general, is the words unsaid were more profound than the dialogue. This isn't a date movie, but if you want to take a look at the human condition for a few hours, I highly recommend it.