Tokyo Sonata
Encyclopedia
is a 2008 film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
. It won the award for Best Film at the 3rd Asian Film Awards
and received 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards
nominations for Achievement in Directing and Best Screenplay. At the 2008 Cannes Film Festival
it won the Prix Un Certain Regard
.
Ryūhei has a good office job, but is suddenly fired because Chinese workers are cheaper. While attempting to find a new job, Ryūhei encounters an old classmate on the street, Kurosu, who has also recently been downsized. Kurosu uses a feature on his mobile phone that plays the ring tone periodically, so that it may fool others into believing he's still employed. This intrigues Ryūhei, who decides to hide the fact that he's been fired from his family. While the two men hopelessly try to find new work, Kurosu's wife slowly begins to suspect her husband's unemployment. Kurosu is later found dead together with his wife from gas poisoning in a double suicide, thought to be initiated by Kurosu.
Takashi, the oldest son, joins the US military and is deployed to war in the Middle East. Kenji, the younger son, wishes to learn to play the piano, even though his father refuses to allow him piano lessons. Kenji takes lessons secretly, and pays for them with his lunch money. Gradually, Kenji develops a strong relationship with his piano teacher Miss Kaneko, who urges him to pursue his musical ambitions. When his parents find out about Kenji's secret piano lessons Megumi, who is generally closer to the children, is supportive, but Ryūhei is so furious that he attacks his son, accidentally causing him a minor concussion.
One day Megumi, while alone at home, is taken hostage by an unemployed man who broke in looking for money. The robber forces Megumi to drive a car he has stolen. After a long drive, he allows her leave the car to use the restroom where she has the opportunity to escape. However, she encounters her husband at the mall working in his secret job as a janitor and decides to return to her captor saying that she cannot return home.
That night Megumi, Ryūhei, and Kenji all have experiences away from home in which they confront the full extent of their existential disquiet.
Kenji attempts to help a friend run away from home, but the latter is caught by his father. Kenji tries to leave town by sneaking onto a bus, but he is caught. Unwilling to answer the questions of the police, Kenji is charged as an adult and kept in a group cell overnight. He is released the following day when the charges are dismissed.
Megumi and the burglar drive to the beach together, where they spend the night in a wood shed. Megumi resigns to the robber's sexual advances, but he ultimately is unable to go through with the act itself. Megumi consoles the robber that he is not a failure, saying that he is the only person who can be himself. Later that night, as the robber sleeps, Megumi spots a strange light on the horizon over the sea. She goes out to look for the light and falls asleep on the beach. The next morning, the robber has driven the stolen car into the ocean, and Megumi returns home.
After encountering Megumi in the mall, Ryūhei despairingly wanders into the Tokyo night, and fails to kill himself by standing in front of a moving vehicle. He lies on the side of the street amid some leaves and sleeps there overnight, only to find himself waking up in the morning unharmed. He is the last to arrive back at the house, where the three family members share a meal together without mentioning the events of the previous night.
Four months later, Ryūhei appears to be engaged in his cleaning job. Takashi sends a letter home from the field, noting that he has realized that the U.S military is not the right side to fight for and that he will stay in the Middle-East to try to understand those he has harmed and search his happiness there. The final scene depicts Kenji performing "Claire de Lune" from the Suite bergamasque
at his audition with Megumi, Ryūhei, and his piano teacher watching. His performance is flawless.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
is a Japanese filmmaker. He is best known for his many contributions to the Japanese horror genre.-Biography:Born in Kobe on July 19, 1955, Kiyoshi Kurosawa is not related to director Akira Kurosawa...
. It won the award for Best Film at the 3rd Asian Film Awards
Asian Film Awards
The Asian Film Awards are presented annually by the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society to recognize excellence of film professionals in the film industries of Asian cinema.-History:...
and received 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Asia Pacific Screen Awards
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards is an international cultural initiative of the State Government of Queensland, Australia, through Events Queensland, to honour and promote the films, actors, directors, and cultures of Asia-Pacific to a global audience and to realise the objectives of UNESCO to...
nominations for Achievement in Directing and Best Screenplay. At the 2008 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
it won the Prix Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
.
Plot
Tokyo Sonata is about a middle class family in Tokyo, the Sasakis, which consists of Ryūhei Sasaki, his wife Megumi, and their two sons Takashi and Kenji.Ryūhei has a good office job, but is suddenly fired because Chinese workers are cheaper. While attempting to find a new job, Ryūhei encounters an old classmate on the street, Kurosu, who has also recently been downsized. Kurosu uses a feature on his mobile phone that plays the ring tone periodically, so that it may fool others into believing he's still employed. This intrigues Ryūhei, who decides to hide the fact that he's been fired from his family. While the two men hopelessly try to find new work, Kurosu's wife slowly begins to suspect her husband's unemployment. Kurosu is later found dead together with his wife from gas poisoning in a double suicide, thought to be initiated by Kurosu.
Takashi, the oldest son, joins the US military and is deployed to war in the Middle East. Kenji, the younger son, wishes to learn to play the piano, even though his father refuses to allow him piano lessons. Kenji takes lessons secretly, and pays for them with his lunch money. Gradually, Kenji develops a strong relationship with his piano teacher Miss Kaneko, who urges him to pursue his musical ambitions. When his parents find out about Kenji's secret piano lessons Megumi, who is generally closer to the children, is supportive, but Ryūhei is so furious that he attacks his son, accidentally causing him a minor concussion.
One day Megumi, while alone at home, is taken hostage by an unemployed man who broke in looking for money. The robber forces Megumi to drive a car he has stolen. After a long drive, he allows her leave the car to use the restroom where she has the opportunity to escape. However, she encounters her husband at the mall working in his secret job as a janitor and decides to return to her captor saying that she cannot return home.
That night Megumi, Ryūhei, and Kenji all have experiences away from home in which they confront the full extent of their existential disquiet.
Kenji attempts to help a friend run away from home, but the latter is caught by his father. Kenji tries to leave town by sneaking onto a bus, but he is caught. Unwilling to answer the questions of the police, Kenji is charged as an adult and kept in a group cell overnight. He is released the following day when the charges are dismissed.
Megumi and the burglar drive to the beach together, where they spend the night in a wood shed. Megumi resigns to the robber's sexual advances, but he ultimately is unable to go through with the act itself. Megumi consoles the robber that he is not a failure, saying that he is the only person who can be himself. Later that night, as the robber sleeps, Megumi spots a strange light on the horizon over the sea. She goes out to look for the light and falls asleep on the beach. The next morning, the robber has driven the stolen car into the ocean, and Megumi returns home.
After encountering Megumi in the mall, Ryūhei despairingly wanders into the Tokyo night, and fails to kill himself by standing in front of a moving vehicle. He lies on the side of the street amid some leaves and sleeps there overnight, only to find himself waking up in the morning unharmed. He is the last to arrive back at the house, where the three family members share a meal together without mentioning the events of the previous night.
Four months later, Ryūhei appears to be engaged in his cleaning job. Takashi sends a letter home from the field, noting that he has realized that the U.S military is not the right side to fight for and that he will stay in the Middle-East to try to understand those he has harmed and search his happiness there. The final scene depicts Kenji performing "Claire de Lune" from the Suite bergamasque
Suite bergamasque
The Suite bergamasque is one of the most famous piano suites by Claude Debussy. Debussy commenced the suite in 1890 at age 28, but he did not finish or publish it until 1905.-History:...
at his audition with Megumi, Ryūhei, and his piano teacher watching. His performance is flawless.
Cast
- Teruyuki Kagawa as Ryūhei Sasaki
- Kyōko KoizumiKyoko Koizumi' is a Japanese singer and actress. Her music is released through Victor Entertainment . She is also known by the nickname Kyon Kyon. She had singles reach the Top ten for 12 consecutive years between 1983 and 1994, a female solo artist record, until this was broken by Namie Amuro...
as Megumi Sasaki - Yū Koyanagi as Takashi Sasaki
- Kai Inowaki as Kenji Sasaki
- Haruka Igawa as Miss Kaneko
- Kanji TsudaKanji Tsudais a Japanese actor.He played Katsuya Tokunaga in the Japanese film The Grudge. He is married and has one child. He is managed by La Sette talent agency....
as Kurosu - Kōji Yakusho as the Robber
- Kazuya Kojima as Mr. Kobayashi
Record of Awards and Nominations
| Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Recipent(s) | Result |
| 61st Cannes Film Festival 2008 Cannes Film Festival The 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 14 to May 25, 2008. In addition to films selected for competition this year, major Hollywood productions such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Kung Fu Panda had their world premieres at the festival.The British press... |
Un Certain Regard: Jury Prize | Tokyo Sonata | |
| 44th Chicago International Film Festival Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America.... |
Jury Prize | Tokyo Sonata | |
| 3rd Asian Film Awards 3rd Asian Film Awards The 3rd Asian Film Awards was given in a ceremony on 23 March 2009 as part of the Hong Kong International Film Festival.-Best Film:*Winner: Tokyo Sonata **Forever Enthralled... |
Best Film | Tokyo Sonata | |
| Best Screenwriter | Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Max Mannix, Sachiko Tanaka | ||
| 30th Yokohama Film Festival Yokohama Film Festival The is a noticed yearly awards ceremony held in Japan. The festival was started as a small affair by fans and film critics, and first held on February 3, 1980. Ten films are chosen as the best of the year, and various awards are given to personnel... |
Best Cinematographer | Akiko Ashizawa | |
| 23rd Mar del Plata Festival | Best Director | Kiyoshi Kurosawa | |
| 10th Arab Asian Film Festival | Best Asian Film | Tokyo Sonata | |
| 9th Utica Film Festival | Best Asian Film | Tokyo Sonata | |
| 4th Osaka Cinema Festival | Best Film | Tokyo Sonata | |
| Best Director | Kiyoshi Kurosawa | ||
| 2nd Asia Pacific Screen Awards Asia Pacific Screen Awards The Asia Pacific Screen Awards is an international cultural initiative of the State Government of Queensland, Australia, through Events Queensland, to honour and promote the films, actors, directors, and cultures of Asia-Pacific to a global audience and to realise the objectives of UNESCO to... |
Achievement in Directing | Kiyoshi Kurosawa | |
| Best Screenplay | Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Max Mannix, Sachiko Tanaka | ||
| 33rd Hochi Film Awards | Best Leading Actress | Kyoko Koizumi Kyoko Koizumi ' is a Japanese singer and actress. Her music is released through Victor Entertainment . She is also known by the nickname Kyon Kyon. She had singles reach the Top ten for 12 consecutive years between 1983 and 1994, a female solo artist record, until this was broken by Namie Amuro... |
|
| 82nd Kinema Junpo Kinema Junpo , commonly called , is a Japanese film magazine which began publication in July 1919. The magazine was founded by a group of four students, including Saburō Tanaka, at the Tokyo Institute of Technology . In that first month, it was published three times on days with a "1" in them. These first three... Awards |
Best Leading Actress | Kyoko Koizumi | |
| Best New Actor | Kai Inowaki | ||
| Cinema Award | Best Film in 2008 (Ranking: 5) | Tokyo Sonata | |