Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Tokyo Sonata (2008) is dysfunctional family drama at its best. The film tells what happens to an ordinary Japanese family when the head of the family loses his job and the values of different generations clash. There's a lot of things in the film's screenplay that made me angry - and they were supposed to be infuriating so that the central themes could arise. The father's shallow pride drives the family's daily routine into chaos which explodes in an unexpected and surreal way. The social commentary is luckily not heavy-handed and actually works quite well. The film ends in an open, ambiguous way which is probably the best way for a film like this - at least on an emotional level.
Kurosawa's form is not spectacular, but it works very well: intriguing compositions and relatively static/calm camerawork create the needed atmosphere for the harsh drama. The film's emotional impact relies on the acting - luckily the entire cast is phenomenal.
Tokyo Sonata is a film that confused me by betraying all expectations I had for the last 50 minutes of the film. My opinion of it might change when I watch it again some day, but right now I consider it a bewildering yet great film.
Score: 9 out of 10
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