the most perfect film i've seen in theatres in a long long time

the trailer can't be embedded, but please oh please watch it here.

the first scene of tokyo sonata shows the interior of a clean, middle-class japanese home with the screen door open and a torrential rainstorm wetting the wood floor. a housewife in a plain dress and apron rushes over, shuts the door and begins mopping up the water on hand and knee. she then pauses, re-opens the door and hesitantly leans out into the rain.

voila.

this sets the absolute perfect tone for the rest of the film, which could almost be summed up in that simple and quiet 60-second introduction. the film is such a stunning portrayal of real individuals living real life - i don't want to say too much more except to go see it whenever you can. all the trite phrases used to describe the film (e.g. "a family unravelling") conjure up images of every other american indie flick about disfunctionality in the home. this is not that at all, it is much more true-to-life than such cliche... ah, so beautiful and moving!