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Tokyo Sonata

Play trailer Poster for Tokyo Sonata PG-13 2009 1h 59m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
94% Tomatometer 87 Reviews 80% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Ryûhei Sasaki (Teruyuki Kagawa) is keeping a secret from his wife, Megumi (Kyôko Koizumi), and his two teenage sons. Even though he leaves the house every day, he's not really going to work. He's going to an employment office. He recently lost his job due to outsourcing, but is determined to find another position, all while supporting an old friend who is also out of work. But when Megumi accidentally finds out Ryûhei's secret and doesn't tell him, her trust in him, and their marriage, suffers.

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Tokyo Sonata

Tokyo Sonata

What to Know

Critics Consensus

J-Horror director Kiyoshi Kurosawa turns successfully to dramedy and gives a unique (and specifically national) perspective to the universal subjects of family and identity.

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Critics Reviews

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Genevieve Yue Film Comment Magazine Oct 20, 2014
[H]ere, perhaps more urgently than ever before, it's about what happens when people confront the world outside, and what new, fragile connections they might begin to forge. Go to Full Review Joshua Rothkopf Time Out Nov 17, 2011
4/5
The movie slides into a kind of bizarre hyperreality that makes its desperation slightly hallucinatory but, paradoxically, more moving. Go to Full Review Mark Peranson Globe and Mail Sep 14, 2010
3/4
Though far from flawless, it's an adventurous work that is both disturbing and ultimately moving. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Oct 10, 2023
B+
Beautifully shot film that's like an Ozu family drama. Go to Full Review Dustin Chang Floating World Mar 24, 2021
Kurosawa manages to hover right above all the stereotypical situations and makes it work with great editing, sound and intimate cinematography(by Akiko Ashizawa). And one of the most beautiful endings I've seen in movies in years. Go to Full Review Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse Apr 13, 2020
Using utter realism, Kurosawa presents the hardships a family faces in the middle of the financial crisis, similar to the same bitter truth Sam Mendes showed in "American Beauty". Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Andrew S @Malasita Jul 6, 2026 Very good film about a family See more Dani G @RT81139271 Aug 25, 2025 The things you do to maintain certain level of image. Liers everywhere!! See more Dušan A @RT86182278 Nov 18, 2024 Beautiful camera and a well-written story, just not speaking so much to me See more JJJJJJ J @RT10868636 Aug 19, 2023 Slow moving, methodical, beautiful, thoughtful movie. I first have to start by saying it took me 3 attempts to watch this. It is a slow moving movie and if you aren't up for that you will not enjoy it. That being said if you are this movie is quite deep and has something to say. It is both a critique of Japanese society at the time but also maybe also has a more deeper message about happiness, life, and what it means to be human. This movie is definitely not for everyone but I great movie for those interested in it. See more William D @acsdoug Mar 30, 2023 The movie began well, focusing on a man's struggle with unexpected unemployment and his desire to keep it secret from his family. Eventually, the characters' stories went off in some weird and rather implausible directions and I lost interest. See more isla s @RT89656869 Sep 3, 2022 This is a somewhat clever film about members of the same family who have their own secrets to hide - not wanting to tell relatives what their doing for fear of judgement. It provides an insight into male shame and dignity perhaps...male peer pressue in Japanese culture. Its a pretty low key film, with some thought provoking dialogue. Its not exactly a gripping watch but I liked the way the plot progressed. If you can stick with it, its worth seeing, though it's not exactly an entirely impactful film, it is thought provoking and it's still worth seeing. Quirky, mundane, interesting. Not great but definitely not bad. See more Read all reviews
Tokyo Sonata

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Cast & Crew

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Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Director

Teruyuki Kagawa

Ryuhei Sasaki

Kyôko Koizumi

Megumi Sasaki

Kai Inowaki

Kenji Sasaki

Haruka Igawa

Ms. Kaneko

Yû Koyanagi

Taka Sasaki

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Tokyo Sonata

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Movie Info

Synopsis Ryûhei Sasaki (Teruyuki Kagawa) is keeping a secret from his wife, Megumi (Kyôko Koizumi), and his two teenage sons. Even though he leaves the house every day, he's not really going to work. He's going to an employment office. He recently lost his job due to outsourcing, but is determined to find another position, all while supporting an old friend who is also out of work. But when Megumi accidentally finds out Ryûhei's secret and doesn't tell him, her trust in him, and their marriage, suffers.
Director
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Producer
Wouter Barendrecht, Yukie Kito
Screenwriter
Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Max Mannix, Sachiko Tanaka
Distributor
Regent Releasing
Rating
PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Brief Strong Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 13, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 14, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$277.3K
Runtime
1h 59m
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