By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Satoshi Kon | Shôgo Furuya
Starring: Aya Okamoto | Toru Emori | Yoshiaki Umegaki
Original language title: Tôkyô goddofâzâzu
Country: japan
Year: 2004
Running time: 92
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388473/combined
Michael says: “While foraging through the trash on Christmas, three homeless friends, a teenaged girl, a transvestite, and a middle-adged man find a baby who has been abandoned. Rather than bringing the infant to the police, the three embark on a journey to find her parents little realizing that it will also be a journey of self-discovery.
“Not your usual plot in a Japanese anime film! Yet directors Shôgo Furuya and Satoshi Kon have fashioned a delightful anime without the futuristic setting, or deadly ninjas that many are used to here in the United States. Kon was the director of last year’s MILLENNIUM ACTRESS, which you may recall I really enjoyed. TOKYO GODFATHERS sports the requisite gorgeously detailed artwork. Characters features become grossly distorted to accompany strong emotions. The lives of each of the three main characters and their paths to homelessness are explored in a way that borders on sentimentality, but neatly avoids that pitfall.
“This one is definitely worth a look and is available on DVD/video. 3 1/2 cats”