SYNOPSIS
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, left on her own to manage the
house, struggles to retain a bond with her oldest son in college,
Takashi, and the youngest, Kenji, a sensitive boy in elementary school.
From the exterior the family is seemingly normal, save for the tiny
schisms that exist within.
The quiet unraveling of the family begins when
Ryuhei loses his job unexpectedly. 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 who save face by concealing their shameful reality
from family and friends, Ryuhei begins to depart each day for work,
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. While Ryuhei vehemently refuses to allow
Kenji to play the piano, he nevertheless finds a way to take
clandestine piano lessons by using his school lunch money for lesson
fees. What began as lies created as means to survive in a society
increasingly unable to communicate, gradually lead the family into
unforeseeable destruction.
In the hands of world famous director Kiyoshi
Kurosawa, known for his thrillers and movies of suspense, 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.
DIRECTOR’S
STATEMENT
This film portrays a very ordinary family in
modern Japan. I started from a point where lies, suspicion and a
complete breakdown of communication already have established themselves
within the family. Without a doubt, this is “modern” and this is also
“Japan.” However, I would like to show a glimmer of hope in the end.
Can I do that? Even if I could do so, would that be something that
saves a conventional family?
RT:
119 min, color, 35mm, aspect ratio 1.85 (flat), sound Dolby SR in
Japanese with English subtitles
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