Tokyo Sonata

Name: Tokyo Sonata
Genre: Drama
Released: March 13, 2009
Duration: 120 min
Rating: 80
Cast: Kyôko Koizumi, Teruyuki Kagawa, Yû Koyanagi

2009

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Ratings

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Ratings

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Tokyo Sonata

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Movie Details & Credits

Regent Releasing | Release Date: March 13, 2009 | PG-13

Starring: Kyôko Koizumi, Teruyuki Kagawa, Yû Koyanagi

Summary: Tokyo Sonata is a portrait of a seemingly ordinary Japanese family. The father who abruptly loses his job conceals the truth from his family; the eldest son in college hardly returns home; the youngest son furtively takes piano lessons without telling his parents; and the mother, who knows deep down that her role is to keep the familyTokyo Sonata is a portrait of a seemingly ordinary Japanese family. The father who abruptly loses his job conceals the truth from his family; the eldest son in college hardly returns home; the youngest son furtively takes piano lessons without telling his parents; and the mother, who knows deep down that her role is to keep the family together, cannot find the will to do so. From the exterior, all is normal and the same. But somehow, a single, unforeseeable chasm has appeared within the family, threatening to disintegrate them. Director Kurosawa’s use of light and dark to express a sense of simultaneous hope and horror verges on awe-inspiring and the ending will leave you enthralled. [Regent Releasing]… Expand

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 120 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Reyhan Harmanci

Kurosawa's film is heavyweight fare: disturbing, slightly over the top, but satisfying, like a rich meal with a powerful aftertaste. Read full review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Known for distinctive horror movies like "Cure" and "Pulse," inventive Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa finds just the right melancholy tone to suit a new and all too familiar kind of horror: economic downsizing. Read full review

Kevin Thomas

Bold, acutely observant and universal in its wide-ranging concerns and implications. Read full review

Manohla Dargis

Tokyo Sonata, looks like a family melodrama -- if a distinctly eccentric variant on the typical domestic affair -- there is more than a touch of horror to its story of a salaryman whose downsizing sets off a series of cataclysmic events. Read full review

V.A. Musetto

Although envisioned before the world economy went to hell, Tokyo Sonata is relevant to the mess we're in now. Read full review

Wesley Morris

Tokyo Sonata, in so many senses, is about an allergic reaction to the very idea of what it means to be Japanese. The characters misplace their belief in etiquette, politesse, dignity, and propriety - or they struggle to maintain it. Read full review

Joe Neumaier

Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa is better known for horror films; this is a movie where the horror is internalized, and hideously truthful. Read full review

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User Reviews

zembowerboy

Apr 7, 2011

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.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

StanG

Jun 9, 2009

Director Kurosawa explores the nightmare of a family rent asunder, primarily due to the father losing his mid-level management job. The film has one of the most perfect endings I've ever seen in cinema.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

MattyG

Feb 14, 2011

"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"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.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

Jun 2, 2022

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 dramaI 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.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DawdlingPoet

Jan 19, 2022

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 keyThis 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.… Expand

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