Wind enters through an unclosed window, disturbing an otherwise serene home. This opening scene of Tokyo Sonata foreshadows the storm brewing in the Sasaki family. The father loses his job and hides it from his family. The eldest son enlists in the army. The mother helplessly watches as her family falls apart. Tensions build, and ultimately the façade of an ideal family crumbles.
Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, known for his horror films, brings an alternate horror to this family drama, one of alienation and despair. The father is brought down to his knees, scrubbing the toilet. The mother reaches out her arms but no one pulls her up. Simple, everyday incidents reveal the fissures within the family as they attempt to continue playing their roles in the family unit. It is this mundane quality that makes the fear much more disturbing: it could happen to anyone. The narrative takes an unexpected turn when an intruder forces the family to face their disintegration. Yet, despite the melancholia permeating the film, it ends on a rather hopeful note, a moving sonata that is both enthralling and wistful.
