078. Kiyoshi Kurosawa: Tokyo Sonata

In this episode, we’re laughing and crying to the sweet melodies of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 2008 film Tokyo Sonata, and its social commentary on the Japanese nuclear family in the midst of a financial crisis. 

We explore the film’s construction of a patriarchal nuclear family, discuss Kyoko Koizumi’s unique role as the mother of the family (taking care of all her boys), and go long on her wild narrative journey in the film’s second half with a surprising supporting actor… Eli finds parallels in Kurosawa’s choices with classic films like King Vidor’s The Crowd and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, Wilson highlights Kurosawa’s selective cinematographic change-ups, and Ben shares some behind the scenes discoveries of the film’s making.

Links: 

• Behind the scenes DVD feature

• NYFF Q&A with Kiyoshi Kurosawa

• Interview with Kiyoshi Kurosawa and actors Teruyuki Kagawa and Kyoko Koizumi

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