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Studio:Eureka Entertainment Ltd

Director:Kiyoshi Kurosawa

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- Quiet, slow moving, beautiful, like the sonata

I am buying this because I saw it at the cinema a few months ago, and haven't been able to get it out of my head since. I've seen other films by this director, who until now specialized in suspenseful, eerie "horror" films (although they were more unsettling really). This film has some of the same atmosphere of oppression, as the main character loses his job, and with it, his hope and his semblance of a normal life. The parody of a life that he leads to try to pretend everything is ok, has moments of wonderful humour amidst the oppressive hopelessness, especially when he meets someone else in the same situation.

Slowly, Ryuhei's life and those of his family unravel and reach breaking point. And around them, others in a similar position give up and succumb to fate. But throughout the rather depressing main plot, it is the little things that offer relief - moments of humour, a tiny bit of hope, and piano lessons. Somehow, the characters carry on. And then, things take a bizarre twist, when a similarly hopeless thief turns up.

This reminds me of the director's earlier film "Kourei", which, whilst being a ghost story, somehow spends more time reflecting on the relationship of a quiet middle-aged couple, as they come to accept that the dreams of their youth will never now come true. In this film, the couple are the central figures, who must both separately go off and find themselves by undertaking a journey that takes them far beyond their normal life. And the director draws the film to a close with the youngest son playing the piano, we are finally able to hear him for ourselves, and it seems to underline the conclusion to the film.

I highly recommend this film. But it is very understated, there is very little high drama, and all the tension is under the surface, in a way that is very Japanese.

- Slow-moving but beautiful film

I am buying this because I saw it at the cinema a few months ago, and haven't been able to get it out of my head since. I've seen other films by this director, who until now specialized in suspenseful, eerie "horror" films (although they were more unsettling really). This film has some of the same atmosphere of oppression, as the main character loses his job, and with it, his hope and his semblance of a normal life. The parody of a life that he leads to try to pretend everything is ok, has moments of wonderful humour amidst the oppressive hopelessness, especially when he meets someone else in the same situation.

Slowly, Ryuhei's life and those of his family unravel and reach breaking point. And around them, others in a similar position give up and succumb to fate. But throughout the rather depressing main plot, it is the little things that offer relief - moments of humour, a tiny bit of hope, and piano lessons. Somehow, the characters carry on. And then, things take a bizarre twist, when a similarly hopeless thief turns up.

This reminds me of the director's earlier film "Kourei", which, whilst being a ghost story, somehow spends more time reflecting on the relationship of a quiet middle-aged couple, as they come to accept that the dreams of their youth will never now come true. In this film, the couple are the central figures, who must both separately go off and find themselves by undertaking a journey that takes them far beyond their normal life. And the director draws the film to a close with the youngest son playing the piano, we are finally able to hear him for ourselves, and it seems to underline the conclusion to the film.

I highly recommend this film. But it is very understated, there is very little high drama, and all the tension is under the surface, in a way that is very Japanese.

- A slowly sinking ship

A film of such excellence that it is hard to put it into words.That if you do it will be erased.This is the
film as a form of music,using discordant layers and unsettling cinematography to arrive at un underlying harmony in the universe.All the characters are on a sinking ship and the lifeboats are gone..we know its hopeless,yet still we are looking for an exit.I think the use of framing devices of windows,doorways,stairways, bridges and flyovers creates a sense of unease and suggestiveness.There are many multiple movements that form a whole yet each remains distinct.We are in a world of predictable routines of such constraint that the director utilizes surrealistic distortions and narrative release to attain a sense of renewal.For such depressing material of redundancy and family dysfunction we get a sense of hope through questioning social roles that petrify our impulses.Megumi the housewife and family homemaker says in a half-sleep:" someone,please help me up".Later the locksmith turned thief(Yakusho)kidnaps her ,forcing her to drive him to the coast where they see a light over the sea.I think it's meant to be kind of a metaphor for how the mother possesses the strength of will to not give up. She hasn't lost hope in life whereas the burglar clearly has. This scene & the one following, where she sees the light hanging above the sea, are hard to make sense of on any level other than a metaphorical/allegorical one. Kurosawa clearly isn't interested in explaining it away as an airliner or a ship or whatever. Even the scene where she's staggering - zombie-like - along the beach & the her face suddenly begins to glow has that same aspect to it. Yes, on one level of course it's just the sun coming up, but the way it's staged gives the shot that same quality.The dvd has 2 discsone with extras interviewing the cast,the making of the film,trailers,the Cannes celebration.The film is aexcellent translation into a print of sepia quality and somber colours.A modern Antonionni crossed with Ozu.

- A Wonderful Movie!

Kiyoshi Kurosawa has succeeded as did Chaplin some seventy odd years earlier with Modern Times and De Sica with Bicycle Thieves some time later. What struck me was the stark realism of this film's portrayal of unemployment: the denial, the despair, the degradation, the long line-ups, the lying and the abuse. Also, the actors - especially the one who portrayed the youngest son - were all first rate. I encourage anyone interested in serious cinema to buy this product! MoC, you've done it again!

- "...the company will have to let you go"

After losing his job as admin director for a large corporation, Ryûhei realises that he's not likely to get a similar job, and certainly not one with the same salary. It seems that the city is full of unemployed suited types desperately trying to give the impression that they are succesfully in work in an attempt to maintain dignity. As Ryûhei walks the streets and queues up for food hand-outs the the film brings us subtle scenes of dark humour, wherever he kills time in the city there are plenty of other jobless well dressed men milling about.

He meets an old friend in a similar situation, he provides something of a masterclass in how to convince those around you, including family, that you're still in work. For all the humour in his eccentric habits it is he who eventually provides the most sobering reminder of the stress caused by unemployment. It's clear that the unemployed men in the film are suffering from a lack of self confidence, they simply can't face up to the fact that they can't provide for their families on the level they have become accustomed to.

Ryûhei's family are seemingly unaware of his situation and between scenes of watching him killing time we get to experience snippets from their lives. Each of their stories are just as interesting as the father's and are initially charming moments which become more involved.

When you start to think that the mother of the house is being somewhat overlooked by the film she then gets to steal the final scenes. Her devotion to the family and the way she represents the true strength underpinning the web of relationships in the house is clarified in a tense and dramatic series of events, we also see her not just as a mum and wife - but as a woman with her own aspirations, dreams and regrets.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa is known for writing/directing horror films, and his background appears to have helped him get across the anxieties of the characters involved in Tokyo Sonata and build tension. The begins starts with a beautifully crafted look into an underworld of the socially disenfranchised and is full of well observed and understated comic moments which also capture the sadness of their plight. Although this does continue throughout the film it's never as strong as or as cleverly done as it is at the start and the film dips at times. Thankfully the human story behind the family are strong and compell you to watch and see what happens to them.

In a nutshell: A quirky film which balances despondency, humour, and kitchen sink drama.