| Language: Japanese Director: Joji Matsuoka Running time: 142 min Release year: 2007 |
| Cast: Joe Odagiri, Kirin Kiki, Yayako Uchida, Takako Matsu, Kaoru Kobayashi |
Movie Review:
“Tokyo Tower Mom & Me and Sometimes Dad” is a simple movie, that gets it right when it counts the most. The dynamics behind the mother and son (and sometimes dad) relationship might be a particular Asian thing, I’ve read somewhere that some people felt certain scenes seemed old fashioned or contrived, but from a guy that grew up in similar circumstances I can tell you the authenticity of those moments is particularly affecting.
In “Tokyo Tower Mom & Me and Sometimes Dad” the movie criss-crosses through time with flashback scenes to depict the relationship between Masaya (Joe Odagiri) and his mother Eiko (Kirin Kiki). When Masaya was three years old, his mother left his irresponsible father and took Masaya to live with her in the small rural town of Chikuho. There he grew up as something of an odd child, easily scared by sounds, but enjoyed such things as tying frogs to train tracks.
|
|
|
|
|
| When it’s time for Masaya to attend high school, he attends a school that’s a long train ride away from his home. For the first time Masaya lives away from his mother and he takes a decided slacker approach to life (just like his father). During this time, it also becomes apparent that Masaya has a talent for the arts, but he seems to lack the motivation to become successful. When its time for Masaya to attend college he elects to attend a university in Tokyo which is even further away from his hometown and his mom. Throughout this time, Eiko supports Masaya unconditionally, working late hours as a cook to support his studies. In Tokyo, Masaya takes after his father even more by living a carefree life as a bohemian slacker. He often poaches off of loan sharks and when that avenue becomes dry he poaches off his mother. Soon Masaya finds himself completely broke and all alone in Tokyo. Then Masaya learns that his mother has become seriously ill. The news serves as a sort of wake up call for Masaya. He then slowly starts to put his life together. A few years later, Masaya becomes a successful illustrator and he invites his mother to live with him in Tokyo. Unfortunately, they find out that their time together may be fleeting. “Tokyo Tower” is based on the best selling novel by Lily Franky. More than 2 million copies has been sold to date and the novel has also inspired a television show and play. I can’t vouch for the novel as I haven’t read it, but the movie at least opts to connect with the viewers through realistic moments of life shown between the mother and son, rather than forcing inflated sentimental moments upon the viewer. What really works in the film is the second half of the film where the adult Masaya (Joe Odagiri) lives with his now ill mother. These moments are fresh in cinematic terms, not something you see often in films, and also moving in human terms, as the once irresponsible Masaya tries to make amends for his past. All the while, Eiko shows unconditional love for her son. The earlier parts of the film, with its many flashback scenes, felt more like a collection of introductory scenes made strictly to lay the groundwork for the second half of the film, rather than existing as genuinely interesting segments on its own. The film also offers plenty of star power. Beyond Joe Odagiri and Kirin Kiki, there’s plenty of cameo appearances by such notable actors as Ayumi Ito, Aoi Miyazaki, Kyoko Koizumi, Ken Mistuishi, Takako Matsu, YosiYosi Arakawa, and Susumu Terajima. Kirin Kiki turned in the best performance of the lot, giving a truly memorable performance without any unneeded histrionics. Joe Odagiri was on the money for most of his screentime, though it seemed he came up a tad short on a few of the more emotionally demanding scenes toward the end of the film. “Tokyo Tower Mom & Me and Sometimes Dad” takes a leisurely 142 minutes to tell its story and leaves out the forced dynamics that you may expect in such films. Because of this, the movie may or may not connect as well with foreign audiences. What the movie gets right (especially in the second half) is to remind you how priceless parental relationships are and to savor such moments. You would think its an obvious thing, but after watching “Tokyo Tower Mom & Me and Sometimes Dad,” it’s doubtful that anybody can take such moments for granted … if time still allows for such moments to exist. |
|
|
|
|
| { Recommended Japanese Movies } |
|
|
|
|
|
Battle Royale (Batoru rowaiaru) |
|
Director: Kinji Fukasaku; Cast: Takeshi Kitano, Shin Kusaka, Ren Matsuzawa, Gouki Nishimura, Shigehiro Yamaguchi, Taro Yamamoto |
|
|
|
Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime): Animated feature film |
|
Director: Hayao Miyazaki; Cast: Yôji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yûko Tanaka, Kaoru Kobayashi, Masahiko Nishimura |
|
|
|
Cafe Isobe (Jun kissa Isobe) |
|
Director: Keisuke Yoshida; Cast: Hiroyuki Miyasako, Riisa Naka, Kumiko Aso, Mari Hamada, Toshihiro Wada |
|
|
|
Love Exposure (Ai no mukidashi) |
|
Director: Sion Sono; Cast: Takahiro Nishijima, Hikari Mitsushima, Atsuro Watabe, Makiko Watanabe, Sakura Ando |
|
|
|
Memories of Matsuko (Kiraware Matsuko no issho) |
|
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima; Cast: Miki Nakatani, Eita, Yusuke Iseya, Teruyuki Kagawa, Mikako Ichikawa, Asuka Kurosawa |
|
|
|
Still Walking (Aruitemo aruitemo) |
|
Director: Keisuke Yoshida; Cast: Hiroshi Abe, Yui Natsukawa, You, Kazuya Takahashi, Shohei Tanaka, Kirin Kiki |
|
|
|
Tokyo Sonata |
|
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa; Cast: Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Yu Koyanagi, Inowaki Kai, Haruka Igawa |
|
|
|
|
|
