Time to get serious, with some real Christmas material this time--and one that's sufficiently just a little bit different I hope. It's Christmas not only through the lens of another culture, but a whole different set of characters than you might normally expect--it's Tokyo Godfathers.
This little animated flick is bought to us by Satoshi Kon--who went on to direct Paprika, his most famous work, which you might just have heard of. Satoshi's got an undeniably distinct style--with very expressive characters that can go from relative realism one moment to complete cartoonishness the next. Overall, the animation here is one I greatly enjoyed--there's not a single badly done painted backdrop, the colors are all nice and natural, but balanced and toned in such a way to match the urban jungle atmosphere. There is some CG, but it's done neatly and tastefully for things like vehicles, especially compared to other productions of this era. Even the end credits have, let's just say, some amusing touches. Overall, it's a very nice flick to look at and holds up just right technically.
But that aside, let's get to the real meat. Our focus is a trio of homeless people out on the streets of Tokyo, from about Christmas Day to New Year's. We have Gin, a grizzled alcoholic who's grappling with immense shame over his past; there's Miyuki, a teenage girl who had a rather drastic falling out with her family; and Hana, a transgender person whose own past drives what becomes the most sympathetic outlook of them all. Hana's the sort of character you probably wouldn't get in most films on the other side of the world at this time, and while the film is a little hazy to their orientation, that's partly down to Japanese outlooks and honorific systems. Take it for what it is.
Anyhoo, the plot kicks off in the snowy dead winter of Tokyo when this homeless family stumbles on a baby abandoned in a garbage heap. It's up to them to trek across the metropolis to find her family--along the way trying to survive the way any homeless might, while stumbling into altercations with organized crime, teenage delinquents, and more than a few coincidences that propel the plot forward. The film's got a very deadpan sense of slightly dark humor permeating without--some might not like the contrivances it deliberately pulls, but if you're on its wavelength, it'll be apparent what Satoshi's going for. You sometimes see attempts of literal Christmas miracles on the screen--but here, they're ones that also help bring our cast around full circle.
And despite that, the film still gives a frank look at homeless life in Japan, with some more sobering moments, through the lens of Christmas as seen in the culture there. There's more references to the religious side of the holiday than you might think, down to the church-set opening, bearing in mind that Japan treats Christmas as a wholly secular holiday more in line with Valentine's day. But the aesthetic of snowswept Tokyo certainly adds to the mood, and while the flick is light on actual imagery we might expect, there's still a strong theme of families just trying to reunite on the holiday as you might get in any western-made film. It's more painful for some than others, but if there's any time to reflect and reconcile, it's when the year is coming to its close.
We also get a nice satisfying note to end it all on--the final act plays up the possibility of something more magic than just mundanity hanging over the proceedings. I guess may not completely gel with the atmosphere before for some, but like I said, if you match Satoshi's wavelength, it won't be that much of an issue. Overall, Tokyo Godfathers' is a nice little film that still plays to the Christmas sentiment without being in your face about it with flurries of baubles and mistletoe--and giving an insight into whole other perspectives while it's at it. If you want some Christmas-themed celluloid that's a real change from schmaltz you might've seen, give this one a try.
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