Tokyo Sonata

2008, 119 minutes

Review by Susan Meehan

I eagerly signed up to watch “Tokyo Sonata” (last of the new Japanese films screened at BAFTA, 26-28 September), knowing next to nothing about the director, but hoping that it might be a family or domestic drama in the fashion of Yasujiro Ozu. I had merely heard the name Kiyoshi Kurosawa and knew he was no relation of Akira’s, but hadn’t seen any of the J-horror films for which he is known. As the film had won the “Un Certain Regard” Jury Prize at the 2008 Cannes festival, it seemed to come well recommended.

As a result of company streamlining and outsourcing to China, Ryuhei Sasaki (Teruyuki Kagawa) loses his well-paid job. Pride prevents him from confiding in his wife or two sons, so Ryuhei carries on the pretence of commuting to work.

The family drama which ensues is irredeemably depressing and lacking in Ozu’s gentle humour or contemplativeness. The film also attempts to embrace too many social ills, I thought – unemployment, suicide, bereavement, family breakdown and burglary to name most of them.

The fact that I found Ryuhei Sasaki a rather unsympathetic character from the outset – scowling, aggressive, alpha male-wannabe – meant that I found it hard to empathise with him in any way, and could only feel pity for his long-suffering family.

Life with the Sasakis is certainly grim – everyone is tense, and other than calls to meals hardly any words are exchanged; no wonder the boys are desperate for outlets – the younger Kenji (Kai Inowaki) surreptitiously using his lunch money to pay for piano lessons and the charismatic elder brother Taka (Yu Koyanagi), a mainly absent university student, set on joining the American army.

The excellent Kyoko Koizumi plays Megumi Sasaki, the sympathetic, resigned, tolerant housewife who desperately tries to keep the family from disintegrating and keeps it fed. The scene in which she fails to find a taker for her homemade doughnuts is pure pathos.

To the film’s credit, the acting is very good as are the scenes of Tokyo. It also highlights Japanese social ills – unemployment, the lack of counseling on offer, humiliating and unhelpful job-centres, thwarted ambitions amongst the young and the long suffering wife.

All in all, it is a horror film of sorts.