What can we pick up when all around seems to be crumbling: systems, authority, beliefs, and hope. What can one lean on to be steadfast and true? What is the truth? Is the person you've become a consequence of experiences or are you born a certain way?

These are all questions Tokyo Sonata presents while emotionally draining you. There is a deeply disturbing, rigid definition of what constitutes happiness and authority in a society like this, and that is deeply worrying. Great stuff.

What can we pick up when all around seems to be crumbling: systems, authority, beliefs, and hope. What can one lean on to be steadfast and true? What is the truth? Is the person you've become a consequence of experiences or are you born a certain way?

These are all questions Tokyo Sonata presents while emotionally draining you. There is a deeply disturbing, rigid definition of what constitutes happiness and authority in a society like this, and that is deeply worrying. Great stuff.

If i had a quarter for everytime I’ve seen musical instruments being played to their absolute peak performance, I’d have 4. Which isn’t a lot but my god am i satisfied. The beginning tests your patience a little. A man loses his job and can’t tell his family. That’s the whole first act and Kurosawa makes you sit in every uncomfortable minute of it. But that’s the thing, the discomfort is the movie. Every person in this household is performing a version of themselves they can no longer hold on to. The lies aren’t dramatic. They’re just quiet and daily and exhausting. Then something breaks open. And when it does you feel exactly how much pressure had been building. The ending especially. The piano scene in particular, i wasn’t ready for it and I don’t think you’re supposed to be. Kurosawa loves these people even when they’re failing each other. That’s what makes it hurt.

If i had a quarter for everytime I’ve seen musical instruments being played to their absolute peak performance, I’d have 4. Which isn’t a lot but my god am i satisfied. The beginning tests your patience a little. A man loses his job and can’t tell his family. That’s the whole first act and Kurosawa makes you sit in every uncomfortable minute of it. But that’s the thing, the discomfort is the movie. Every person in this household is performing a version of themselves they can no longer hold on to. The lies aren’t dramatic. They’re just quiet and daily and exhausting. Then something breaks open. And when it does you feel exactly how much pressure had been building. The ending especially. The piano scene in particular, i wasn’t ready for it and I don’t think you’re supposed to be. Kurosawa loves these people even when they’re failing each other. That’s what makes it hurt.

hope comes in different forms

hope comes in different forms

You get the sense you are watching a family slowly unravel, like a ball of yarn, drifting into a quiet, creeping chaos, only to realize it has all been building towards one hell of a crescendo. One of the most striking portrayals of family dysfunction I have ever seen.

After this, I am not even sure Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s talents belong to horror at all, but rather in his ability to understand the human condition widely and articulate it so naturally and with precision.

well done

You get the sense you are watching a family slowly unravel, like a ball of yarn, drifting into a quiet, creeping chaos, only to realize it has all been building towards one hell of a crescendo. One of the most striking portrayals of family dysfunction I have ever seen.

After this, I am not even sure Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s talents belong to horror at all, but rather in his ability to understand the human condition widely and articulate it so naturally and with precision.

well done

Man I love this movie. And it's very interesting to see when I rewatch each time I see some scenes more to what I've seen them as before. That way I can appreciate way more things about this film when like absolutely every part of it becomes so special to me. Also I've seen people say that the ending is unsatisfying and expecting something more, but honestly this is one of my favourite endings that I've seen. I just can't imagine a better way it could end. Everything just evolves so well and the ending is very beautiful. I wouldn't add a single thing and wouldn't delete a single thing either, it's just so perfect. And it's actually quite a sad movie, but even so I love rewatching it so much and find new things that I love about it as well. This film really deserve more recognition, I never see people talk about it, but this is literally a masterpiece

Man I love this movie. And it's very interesting to see when I rewatch each time I see some scenes more to what I've seen them as before. That way I can appreciate way more things about this film when like absolutely every part of it becomes so special to me. Also I've seen people say that the ending is unsatisfying and expecting something more, but honestly this is one of my favourite endings that I've seen. I just can't imagine a better way it could end. Everything just evolves so well and the ending is very beautiful. I wouldn't add a single thing and wouldn't delete a single thing either, it's just so perfect. And it's actually quite a sad movie, but even so I love rewatching it so much and find new things that I love about it as well. This film really deserve more recognition, I never see people talk about it, but this is literally a masterpiece