Product: Tokyo Sonata (2008)
Rating: 3.0
Open your mind to the strange, bizarre and sillyness of Kurosawa (not thee Kurosawa)
This is only the second Kurosawa film I have seen, and please don't confuse this name with the great Akira Kurosawa, whose films are in a different world. But the film I saw wasBright Future, about these poisoned jellyfish, and I hated that strange movie.If you don't know the work of Kiyoshi Kurosawa, be prepared for some strangeness, unanswered questions, and just plain bizarre happenings. However, this film is about the already-dysfunctional family that bears the brunt of the father's sudden downsizing from the corporate world. So, consequently, an already-dysfunctional and basically screwed up family manages til they all crash and burn. There are some far-fetched events, some unexplained events, and some bizarre too.This is a lengthy movie, and at the beginning it seems normal, laid-back story as the father of a middle-class family got downsized at his corporation. He hides this information from his wife, teenage son, and young son. His wife finally discovers that he is in a food line, and nothing ever gets discussed. The later half of the movie, things starts unraveling, as this unemployed lifestyle and deception creates new hardships. The dramatic action is quick, unexplained, little far fetched, so pay attention. Kenji, the young son is on the way to being a gifted pianist, and somehow this light in the family and the son serving in the U.S. military provides some normalcy and balance to the bizarre family.This is a type of film that as watching it, creates a lot of silly conversation between viewers, and at times questioning and ridiculing the scenes.Kurosawa is a great filmmaker; if you like his style and can prepare yourself for the strange. Included are some features on making of the film, plus other features that tend to go rather long, praising the actors and the film. ...Rizzo