I’ve been fortunate enough to have been a student in UP , if you are a film lover probably the best school in an exposure perspective here in the Philippines. We had a Japanese/French/Korean/Spanish festival sponsored by their embassy and other festivals sponsored by student orgs and ngo. Probably 4 to 5 years ago the theme of the Japanese Film Festival was films by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and I’d have to say his films are dark and edgy, with some witty but still introspective moments. I remember the scenes and most of the scenes I remember are disturbing at best. I am excited to watch this.
Tokyo Sonata
In theaters: March 13, 2009 Copyright © 2009 Regent Releasing
Tokyo Sonata Poster
Set in contemporary Tokyo, TOKYO SONATA is a story of an ordinary Japanese family of four. The father, Ryuhei Sasaki, like any other Japanese businessman, is faithfully devoted to his work. His wife Megumi manages the house and struggles to retain a bond with Takashi, her oldest son who is in college, and the youngest, Kenji, a sensitive boy in elementary school. The quiet unraveling of the family begins when Ryuhei unexpectedly loses his job. Facing completely unfamiliar circumstances, he decides not to tell his family and begins his lonely sojourn into the world of the secretly unemployed. Along with many other businessmen that save face by concealing their shameful reality from family and friends, Ryuhei pretends to go to work each day, when, in fact, he kills time in libraries and parks. His lies and torment go unnoticed by Takashi, who becomes increasingly despondent and alienated from his family, and Megumi, who can no longer summon the will to keep her family together. Meanwhile, Kenji’s journey begins to mirror his father’s solitary plight. Although his father vehemently refuses to allow Kenji to play the piano, the boy uses his school lunch money to pay for clandestine lessons. What began as lies created as means to survive, gradually leads the family into unforeseeable destruction. In the hands of director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, renowned for his suspenseful films, this story probes the dark side of human nature and the social problems that confront contemporary Japan. Kurosawa’s portrayal of the breakdown and redemption of Japan’s “ordinary family” is every bit as gripping as his previous works.
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* Genre:Foreign, Drama
* Director:Kiyoshi Kurosawa
* Cast:Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Yu Koyanagi, Kai Inowaki, Haruka Igawa
Apple – Movie Trailers – Tokyo Sonata.