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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
TOKYO GODFATHERS
Megapolis Tokyo - with its overcrowded streets, high-tech gadgets and bright dazzling neon
signs as one would spot in Lost in Translation - unveils its grittier side in the animated
film Tokyo Godfathers. The story centers on three homeless people, who live together in cardboard tents and scrimmage
for food and commodities. On a snowy Christmas Eve, they accidentally find an
abandoned baby girl in a garbage dump. Hana, a transvestite with an excessive maternal instinct,
insists on keeping the baby, at least until they find her parents - against the will of her two
partners. In the course of their search, fate brings upon them strange coincidences, and each one
winds up also finding what they have deep down longed for. Fast-paced and humorous
throughout, Tokyo Godfathers has many unbelievable plot twists and is yet oddly realistic. The
three main well-written characters are what make the film worth watching: Gin, a no-good
gambler abandoned by his family; Miyuki, a run-away teenager; and Hana, the exuberant
transvestite widowed by her boyfriend. They have nothing in common except for one thing: a
warm, loving, and big heart. These strong and humane characters are surprisingly convincing. In
the midst of murky back streets and the jaded urbanites, these three humble souls shine like a
diamond ring found in the film’s thrift shop. Not an action film or science fiction like many
animated films, it is rather a rare type in its genre: a hearty film about humanity, determination,
and love, appealing to both teenagers and adults. Hazuki Aikawa, journalist, director of the documentary Yancha
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