Tokyo Sonata (Masters Of Cinema)

There is no better time for this movie than now.
Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa brings us a special film about the world we're currently all living in. He shows us the effects of the recession, unemployment, the breakdown of the family unit, all the things which many of us read about daily and some of us have the misfortune to live with.
The acting is sublime with each character being very believable and realistic. Although you never truly bond with one single character you do care for them and understand the pain they're going through. Their interaction with each other is acted out perfectly and give you a true feeling of the family unit crumbling under the pressures of the outside world.
When first reading about this movie I expected it to be a typical art-house style piece about depressing life, meaning the majority would be spent in silence with long drawn out scenes. But thanks to some brilliant writing the film flows nicely and makes for a great watch.

Overall: Tokyo Sonata would be a good movie at anytime but due to our current climate it relates massively to what we're all going through. It's written well, directed well and acted out perfectly. It's a gem from the Land of the Rising Sun.