Review: Tokyo Sonata

Tokyo Sonata (2008)
starring: Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Yu Koyanagi, Inowaki Kai, Koji Yakusho
dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa


In the states, Kiyoshi Kurosawa is known mostly for his contribution to the J-Horror movement. Now he brings us a peek into the psyche of a dysfunctional family and delivers what may be his best film yet. He takes what would turn into half baked cliched ideas in an American film and delivers a sincere, at times frightening and funny look into a family that hits bottom, then struggles and fights to be reborn.

The performances are elegant and layered. Kyoko Koizumi is sublime as a mother who quietly suffers and finally explodes in a way that you rarely see on screen, but feels sincere in her hands. Kurosawa staple Koji Yakusho has a smaller part in this film, but he is hysterical as an inept thief.

Kurosawa has not altered his visual style for this film and it's stunning to see the nuance running though his frame in various sequences. As the film builds, the emotional catharsis is not a bang, but a sprint as the characters attempt to run away (literally) from situations they no longer want to face or even attempt to fix. But life always has other plans and the universe responds in small or large ways as the family ends up at the same table we've witnessed them eating at several times throughout the film.

The final scene may turn out to be one of the years most emotionally satisfying. It is pitch perfect and does not pander or explode with an uplifting hurrah. Instead it is a victory that is quiet and keeps us as engrossed as the people in the scene witnessing what is the birth of a new begining.

9.5 out of 10