Communa Reviews: Tokyo Sonata.
Photo: Sony Pictures Classics
Tokyo Sonata is a 2008 Japanese psychological drama film directed and co-written by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
It stars Teruyuki Kagawa as Ryūhei Sasaki, Kyoko Koizumi as Megumi Sasaki, Yū Koyanagi as Takashi Sasaki, and Kai Inowaki As Kenji Sasaki are the four members of an emotionally distant middle-class family who all individually come to question their life choices and futures. Kanji Tsuda as Kurosu, Kōji Yakusho as The Robber, and Haruka Igawa as Miss Kaneko co-star in supporting roles.
The film Tokyo Sonata premiered in May 2008 at the Cannes Film Festival
The story follows the Sasakis, a middle-class family in Tokyo: Ryūhei (played by Teruyuki Kagawa) his wife Megumi, played by Kyoko Koizumi who is a housewife, and their two sons, late teens Takashi (Yū Koyanagi), and middle-schooler Kenji (Kai Inowaki). The four are emotionally distant from each other and rarely share anything.
I had previously watched Cure (1997) and had planned to write about that instead of this, I might still write about that but I explored the film catalog of Kiyoshi Kurosawa (not related to Akira Kurosawa) and got to this gem of a film. Fair warning it is a very slow burn and for some people, it can get a bit uncomfortable. Tokyo Sonata starts from the perspective of Ryuhei Sasaki, The father of a family completely detached from one another which is typically an ill of long-term marriages. And to drive home how deep the rot is, when Ryuhei is laid off from work due to downsizing, he decides not to tell his family, instead loafing around with another downtrodden man Kurosu as they go through free meal lines and maintaining the illusion of still maintaining their previous high paying jobs. Juxtapose that with an unfulfilled wife who feels she deserves much more than being a housewife and two sons who wish they could make different life decisions separate from the family, and what you get are four individuals in a dysfunctional system who would rather exist without the influence of the other three.
Tokyo Sonata explores various themes ranging from patriarchal set gender roles and their effect on both the patriarch and the matriarch, it also speaks to little moments that can contribute to driving the family wider apart especially when it comes to the values the family is meant to uphold, it explores vulnerability with your loved ones and how the lack of it could lead to far-reaching consequences for the family. It explores wasted talent and impulsive decisions that can be made without the feel of a community to guide and support. It stresses the importance of a community that exists in the family and how the absence of it can cascade negatively to every member.
Tokyo Sonata’s representation of an emotionally detached family is bleak and does not let up with its depiction of their failures, taking time out to reflect on each member’s reaction to the realization that they wish they could start again. One big plus for this movie is the acting, Kyoko Koizumi’s shines through in the 3rd act in such a manner that I had to check what performances were selected as the best in 2008. This was an Oscar nod-worthy performance from her. She navigates despair and disappointment so solemnly yet poignant that you feel every minute detail of her emotions.
Not to be outdone, Teruyuki Kagawa plays a man who can not come to grips with his impending failure to be a patriarch, he had ruled his family with unquestioned authority. He now could see the end of that power in sight, he plays a man desperate to keep an appearance, a man cosplaying as “The Father” while struggling with not being up to snuff, he finds minor reprieve in a fellow unemployed man till he realizes the happiness they exuded was a facade to cover darkness that eventually consumed them.
And then there’s the last-born son Kenji played by Kai Inowaki, child actors often find it difficult to navigate the nuances of acting but I see no problems as Kai plays Kenji with a childlike innocence yet stern enthusiasm for his passion that it’s easy to miss how young he is, he was truly brilliant playing a kid pigeon-holed into a path he has no interest in and finally getting someone to believe in his actual dream, chasing it regardless of what anyone else around him had to say, his introduction alone showed a character that is defiant in the face of injustice, a fine performance indeed.
The direction of Kiyoshi Kurosawa can not be overstated, I have seen two films from him this year and they are unquestionably the best films I have seen this year, his eye for slowly unraveling complex themes is insane. The film score is slow, trickling, and makes you feel uneasy with how far every member is willing to go to dissociate from what’s meant to be the safest place for existence.
Tokyo Sonata is an excellent film, with outstanding lead and supporting performances, a haunting score, and well-fleshed-out themes that range from relatable to uncomfortable, all while tying everything up in a beautiful ending. Inspirational.