Tokyo Sonata
Seen it?2008 | 120 min | Drama
Sunday Safe BetWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (94% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had a box office loss and little lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who loves a strong drama. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Thoughtful and character-driven.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr.
- What might put you off
- It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
The winds of change blow as a family grapples with unemployment, alienation, mistrust and a lack of communication. When a Japanese salaryman loses his job to outsourcing to China, it's simply the beginning of a series of shattering incidents, leading to the implosion of the family unit.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 80 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.4 out of 10
- AwardsSolid
Won 1 Cannes award: 61st Cannes Film Festival: Un Certain Regard - Jury Prize. Plus 12 other awards.
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$944K worldwide on a $2 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 32K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Teruyuki KagawaRyuhei Sasaki
- Kyoko KoizumiMegumi Sasaki
- Kai InowakiKenji Sasaki
- Yu KoyanagiTakashi Sasaki
- Haruka IgawaKaneko
- Kanji TsudaKurosu
- Kazuya KojimaMr. Kobayashi
- Koji YakushoRobber
- Takashi Kodama
- Hajime Inoue