TOKYO SONATA

Year: 2008
USA: Regent Releasing
UK: Eureka Entertainment
Cast: Teruyuki Kagawa, KyOko Koizumi, Yû Koyanagi, Inowaki Kai, Haruka Igawa, Kanji Tsuda, Kazuya Kojima, KOji Yakusho, Jason Gray
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese (English subtitles)
USA & UK: 119 mins
USA Rated: PG-13 for thematic elements and brief strong language
UK Certificate: 12A contains moderate violence and one use of strong language
USA Release Date: 20 March 2009 (Limited Release)
UK Release Date: 30 January 2009 (Limited Release)

UK Distributor

Synopsis

When Ryuhei Sasaki (Teruyuki Kagawa) is unceremoniously dumped from his 'safe' company job, his family's happy, daily lifestyle is threatened and their future bleak with the loss of his income. Unwilling to accept the shame of unemployment, Ryuhei keeps quiet about his predicament and continues to leave home each morning in suit and tie with his briefcase. The stark reality unbeknown to his family sees him spending his days searching for work and lining up for soup with the homeless.

Outstanding performances; serene, elegant direction; and Kurosawa's trademark chills are evident as he ratchets up the unsettling atmosphere and the grim hopelessness of Sasaki's unemployment in this family drama TOKYO SONATA. This latest film from Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (CURE, KAIRO aka PULSE), is an eerie, poignant reflection on the mass uncertainty currently sweeping the world. It is widely regarded as Kurosawa's finest achievement and was the only Japanese film to receive an award at the Cannes Film Festival 2008 (Jury Prize winner of Un Certain Regard).