Kiyoshi Kurosawa, the director who made his name with the horror films Cure and Pulse, scores another triumph (and a Cannes Jury Prize award) with his new film, the recession-inspired family drama, Tokyo Sonata.
When Sasaki (Teruyuki Kagawa, last seen in 20th-Century Boys) is made redundant from his job at a large medical equipment company, his authority and honour in the family home is under threat. Shamed of being unemployed, he keeps his predicament a secret. Instead, he continues his life as normal, in a bid to get a new job, and spends his days in his office attire with a newly-found buddy (who has been pretending to go to work for months) at a park for down and outs.
But Sasaki hasn't counted on his two sons wanting to forge futures of their own: one wants to join the US Army in a bid to escape Japan, the other has found a latent musical gift. What follows is every father's nightmare: 'What do you do when you are no longer the head of the family?' This DVD is certainly no Father's Day present.
Article continues belowBrilliantly performed by the ensemble of actors; with sublime direction and some of Kurosawa’s trademark chills (the lingering shots on the actors blank faces say so much), Tokyo Sonata is a poignant, unsettling look at the grim hopelessness of unemployment, the disintegration of a normal Japanese family, and the changing face of Japan itself.
The Eureka! DVD release, part of the Masters of Cinema series, includes a ‘making of’ documentary and a 28-page essay.
Released 22 June
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv9WS0aouIY&fs=1
