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Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyôko Koizumi, Yu Koyanagi, Kai Inowaki, Haruka Igawa ... see more see more... , Kanji Tsuda , Koji Yakusho

A typical household secretly teeters on the verge of collapse in this stark drama from director Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Businessman Ryuhei Sasaki (Teruyuki Kagawa) is the principal breadwinner of a seemingl... read more read more...y happy family in Tokyo, with Ryuhei looking after his teenage sons, Takashi (Yu Koyanagi) and Kenji (Kai Inowaki), with his wife, Megumi (Kyoko Koizumi). But what Megumi and her children don't know is that Ryuhei is out of a job; his position was outsourced to a company in China, and he's too ashamed to tell his family the truth. Ryuhei leaves home every morning as if he's going to the office, but instead visits employment centers in hopes of landing a new job and eats lunch at a kitchen for the indigent. One day, while waiting for free porridge, Ryuhei meets an old friend who is in a similar predicament, Kurosu (Kanji Tsuda); Kurosu ends up bringing Ryuhei home for dinner so they can discuss their fictive day at work and maintain their subterfuge. Megumi, who is not as well-adjusted as she appears, one day spots her husband in a soup line while running errands, and discovers the truth about his employment status, though she doesn't dare confront him. And as Takashi and Kenji begin drifting away from their emotionally distant parents, Kenji starts to suspect things are not as they should be, and begins spending his lunch money on music lessons in hopes of starting a career as a pianist. Tokyo Sonata was an official entry at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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75% liked it

11,878 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

83 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Release Date: March 13, 2009

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DVD Release Date: May 4, 2010

Stats: 495 reviews

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Japanese Actress Japanese Actress Yu Koyanagi Japanese Actor Inowaki Yu Koyanagi Tokyo Sonata (Tokyo Sonata) Japanese Actor Tokyo Sonata (Tokyo Sonata)
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Flixster Reviews (495)

  • romy861
    July 31, 2009
    romy861
    This is a very good movie, which unfortunately does not translate to being enjoyable. It follows the lives of a family - a father who has been made redundant, and is too proud to tell his wife, so leaves the house every day pretending to work, and eventually accepting a menial j... read moreob as a cleaner secretly. The wife, who is actually onto him, having seen him queuing for food with the unemployed one day, but not wishing to admit she knows so he loses face. Their two children, one of whom signs up with the American army to get away from them all, and a little boy who is stealing his lunch money to pay for the piano lessons his parents would not let him take.
    This movie is painfully slow, and though beautifully done, is not an experience I would like to sit through again. Maybe it is a Japanese culture thing, because I pretty much felt like slapping the lot of them and screaming "Be honest!!". Thankfully, there is some hope for this family at the end!
  • gator681
    March 29, 2009
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]"Tokyo Sonata" starts with a storm bearing down on Japan which blows all the jobs of the administration department away into China including that of its 46-year old director Ryuhei Sasaki(Teruyuki Kagawa) who packs up two shopping bags full of belongings befo... read morere leaving. Eventually, he disposes of them, deciding not to tell his wife(Kyoko Koizumi). His old school pal Kurosu(Kanji Tsuda) is in the same boat but has honed his lying to an art form. At home, Ryuhei rarely sees his older son Takashi(Yu Koyanagi) while his younger son Kenji(Inowaki Kai) has taken a sudden interest in the piano.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]With the exception of one sequence late in the movie, "Tokyo Sonata" is a subtle exploration of what it means to be unemployed in Japan, as jobs are leaving the country at a breakneck pace, affecting the managerial classes in inordinate numbers.(The people on the breadlines seem better dressed than I would normally expect.) None of this is their fault, just the system that has not given them any noticeable skills, just as it is not Kenji's fault that the big book of manga falls into his lap. These same people sit still or stand on lines while the rest of the world passes them by. But no matter how quickly the world moves, the important thing is to find your place in the new world.[/font]
  • fb796967648
    March 19, 2009
    fb796967648
    Fascinating and frustrating. This delicate drama from Japan has a quiet and stunning first 70 minutes, an incredibly odd and off-putting middle 40 and then back to stunning and lovely for the last 10. If not for those final 10 minutes, I would have to admit it lost me, but they... read more're a pretty great last 10... That middle 40 though... hmmm....
  • Junnerayemalinao2012
    May 4, 2012
    Junnerayemalinao2012
    A perfect comedy and family drama all at the same time that does not tell a very intriguing story, but also specifically portrays Japan with realism.
  • irisheyes686
    November 1, 2011
    irisheyes686
    This was actually pretty good. It was a little slow, but the story was interesting.
  • cacutshaw
    August 27, 2009
    cacutshaw
    Brilliant! Kurosawa sets up his film as a somewhat typical family drama, with a lot of tension about an unhappy family becoming even unhappier, then... well it becomes a Kurosawa film. It seems that this is an expansion of his previous film, Doppelganger, which plays with conve... read morentions in a way that may leave some audience scratching their noggins, but to others it's absolutely thrilling. And it's not like Tarrintino, throwing vampires into a gangster film (not bad mouthing From Dusk til Dawn. Great film), but a lot more organic. Just not predictable.
    I've always dug Kurosawa, though I worry about his determination not to be pigeonholed as a horror director. I feared this was going to be his For Love of the Game, where he casually spits on his previous work and makes something much more palatable. Not to worry. This is pure Kiyoshi all the way. It also reminds me of 2 other of my favourite Japanese family dramas, Miike's awesome Visitor Q an Happiness of the Katakuris. Highly recommended.
  • mvieaddict
    July 18, 2009
    mvieaddict
    I thought this film would be a depressing film to watch, but I was surprised that the film was actually very uplifting. Although it was a sad story, it has a very powerful message if you watch it to the end, that will encourage you to move on even when life gets to its darkest mo... read morement.

    This story was about typical problems of dysfunctional family in Japan.The leader of the family lost his job and was afraid to tell the family, the elder son join American army and go to war, the younger son wanted to learn the piano but the father forbids him, the wife was depressed of trying to hold the family together. The film was so delicate and beautiful. It captures the feeling of each character and the whole depressive atmosphere of Tokyo as well. The pace was slow but not boring because you can follow the story very easily and you can sympathize with each one of the characters. It did not even have any Hollywood boring formula of sentimental film. This was a real work of art.
  • naoyakugimiya1
    May 9, 2012
    naoyakugimiya1
    ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????... read more?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
  • catlyst
    March 28, 2012
    catlyst
    A deep understated look at urbanity and its accompanying ills -- kinda makes you want to give up (on life & on this movie), until one sees the value of perseverance and hope.
  • kingmob6
    July 17, 2010
    kingmob6
    I think I've finally found the secret for me to enjoy Kurosawa's films, as I dug this slow moving drama, but have always been put off by his horror films, which have never struck me as scary or engaging, more boring than anything.

    A look at a family slowly coming apart as the fa... read morether is laid off, the film is an interesting look at the social mores and expectation in modern Japanese society.

    Recommended.

View All Tokyo Sonata (Tokyo Sonata) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Philip Kennicott
July 17, 2009
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post

Kurosawa is the rare director who simply lets his film dissolve into music, allowing the plot to take the film naturally to a musical conclusion. Full Review

Maggie Lee
June 26, 2009
Maggie Lee, Hollywood Reporter

Kurosawa's first domestic drama is music to general audience's ears.

Jason Anderson
June 26, 2009
Jason Anderson, Toronto Star

A skilful and continually surprising drama, Tokyo Sonata depicts the gradual deterioration of an ordinary Japanese family after its breadwinner loses his job owing to corporate downsizing. Full Review

Jennie Punter
June 25, 2009
Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail

The film transcends conventions of genre and cultural boundaries, and turns out to be one of the most compelling, finely orchestrated and oddly enchanting films of the year so far. Full Review

Jonathan F. Richards
June 13, 2009
Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com

Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (no relation to the master) is best known for his up-market horror films (Cure, Retribution, and many others.) Here he is dealing with a horror of a different sort: the meltd... Full Review

Colin Covert
May 14, 2009
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

A realistic social drama, but the story taps deep, cold wellsprings of dread. Full Review

Wesley Morris
May 7, 2009
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

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 --... Full Review

Carrie Rickey
May 1, 2009
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

An extraordinary work in three movements about the Sasakis, a seemingly ordinary family. In this unpredictable work, the clan implodes, explodes, and glues itself back together. Full Review

Andrea Gronvall
April 17, 2009
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader

Kiyoshi Kurosawa switches gears from supernatural horror to poignant social satire. Full Review

Michael Phillips
April 9, 2009
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Each performance in this plaintive work is superb, but Kyoko Koizumi's gently melancholy portrait of the businessman's wife keeps Tokyo Sonata true and affecting. Full Review

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