Tokyo Sonata

Regent Releasing | Release Date: March 13, 2009

7.1	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Ratings

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StanGJun 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.

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MattyGFeb 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"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

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zembowerboyApr 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.

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JLuis_001Jun 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.

TokyoI 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

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DawdlingPoetJan 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 peerThis 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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