TOKYO GODFATHERS (2003)

In Heaven Everything is Fine... But Down Here is Another Story Entirely

On the sixth Lynchian day of Christmas, we present Satoshi Kon's bizarre yet heartwarming Japanese Christmas tale Tokyo Godfathers (2003). Unfortunately Kon passed away of cancer last year, but his exceptional film legacy lives on through his remarkably intelligent and distinctively Lynchian work in animation. Kon's fellow Lynch-devotee, American film director Darren Aronofsky—best known for last year's twisted Black Swan (2010)—is a notable admirer of Kon's work. Aronofsky even secured the American remake rights to Kon's powerhouse mind-bending thriller Perfect Blue (1997) so he could lift certain shots and editing techniques for his film adaptation of Requiem for a Dream (2000).

Paying homage to the John Ford Western 3 Godfathers (1948) upon which it is loosely based, Tokyo Godfathers (2003) centers on three homeless people on the streets of Tokyo on Christmas Eve who find a baby while rummaging in the trash. These brokenhearted people rally to form a makeshift alliance to care for and reunite the baby girl with her family. They encounter dangerous and bizarre obstacles on their journey, and each member of their party will confront painful experiences from their pasts that led them to live the on the streets. While flavored with healthy doses of yuletide pathos, Tokyo Godfathers deftly avoids schmaltzy melodrama. Satoshi Kon has a talent for making realistic animated characters whose depth and complexity exceed that of most characters in live action films.

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