Movie Review – Tokyo Godfathers

Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
Written by Keiko Nobumoto & Satoshi Kon
Directed by Satoshi Kon

This year, I wanted to look at some Christmas-themed films & television specials that are not part of the traditional canon but aren’t a garbage fire. Last year, I did a series titled “A Very 2000s Christmas” and found that decade to have some of the most rotten, mean-spirited dreck centered around a holiday that purports to be the opposite. I needed some media that brought me Christmas cheer this year. We start with this animated feature film from Japanese master filmmaker Satoshi Kon. I first became aware of Kon when I watched his incredible psychological thriller, Perfect Blue. When I found out he had made a Christmas film, it seemed like a perfect addition to this list.

On Christmas Eve, three homeless people discover a baby abandoned in the garbage. These characters are Gin (a middle-aged alcoholic), Hana (a trans woman), and Miyuki (a teenage runaway). The trio sets out to find a home for this child, but along the way, Hana becomes attached, naming the baby Kiyoko. An odyssey across Tokyo ensues with our heroes encountering strange & interesting people while avoiding the authorities. We learn more about the lives of these homeless people, how they came to be on the street and examine the makeshift family they have formed for themselves. We end up with a cinematic animal I’ve never seen before, a dramatic farce. 

Kon eschews any fantastical elements to tell a very human story. It must be noted that this is a remake of the John Ford western 3 Godfathers, where a trio of cowboys helps a dying woman in labor and promises to care for her newborn before she passes. Kon has taken this premise, updated it, and localized it to Japanese culture. At first, it feels like this will be a slapstick comedy, but then the pathos is turned up, resulting in a very moving, human story set against the backdrop of Christmas. There are the trademark tropes of farce, complicated misunderstandings, and people missing each other by seconds, yet then the film can deliver profoundly heartbreaking moments. 

Gin watches over an elderly homeless man who is passing away alone on the street. Gin is contemplating this as his potential future, knowing he would want someone there by his side when he passes. That scene is followed by a group of teenagers physically assaulting Gin and the old man’s corpse after stumbling across them. It’s such a potent mix of emotions and the type of thing we don’t typically expect from Christmas fare. Yet, it felt wholly appropriate. Winter is a season of death & darkness. Not reflecting those themes in your story ignores part of what it means to truly feel this time of year. Kon never becomes too egregious with the dark aspects of the story, though.

Much time is spent with the family of trans women who perform at the Angel Club, Hana’s old employer. She was fired after fighting with a rude, drunken customer, but the owner and the other girls still welcome her back on Christmas, providing a place of respite. While I feel that for 2003, the movie offers a quite sympathetic portrayal of a trans woman, by today’s standards, it is lacking. Hana often serves as the butt of jokes; her feminine personality is used to show her as an airhead rather than a complex person. We get some of that, but it is definitely part of the film that will stick out to a viewer sensitive to the portrayal of trans people in the media.

Kon handled the choice to make his protagonists homeless better. He understands that Japan, similarly to the United States, looks down on homeless people. It’s a culture with a stringent emphasis on being industrious and professional, so people living on society’s margins are often viewed as the worst. If you have seen Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters, it has a similar vibe. Some people inflict unnecessary cruelty on the homeless, but most simply choose not to see them, passing by as if our protagonists aren’t even human. Homelessness is not portrayed often in Japanese media, so when these marginalized characters show up, the artist responsible attempts to open up a part of the audience’s heart to their plight. Yet, Kon doesn’t want us to pity these people but rather see them as fully-fledged human beings whose circumstances could befall any of us given a bad day. The director exuded a warmth for these characters that was genuinely fitting for what we are told the intent of the Christmas season is. 

Perfect Blue was so effective because it transcended my expectations for animation while showcasing why the story could not have been told in a live-action medium. The images presented would never be as rich & compelling with actors and physical settings. The same can be said about Tokyo Godfathers. Despite Tokyo Godfathers being a film genre that we usually associate with live-action, Kon incorporates animation techniques that show us how it had to be in this medium. Characters move and perform in a way that is impossible to get the same out of a physical actor. The facial animations have a complexity & nuance that can only be done through animation. 

I have yet to see Kon’s Paprika, but I know it’s a great film, so hopefully, in 2024, I can find an excuse to watch it. As for anime, a genre I’ve always struggled to appreciate, I’m warming up to it more. I’ve always loved Miyazaki’s movies, but expanding beyond that has been daunting. There are some tropes & tones to certain anime films & shows that just don’t click with me. I watched the first four episodes of Attack on Titan a few years ago and lost interest. I want to sit down and spend time with Neon Genesis Evangelion in 2024; I have heard some very positive things in the last few years. I tried watching one version of it in college (I can’t recall which one), and I felt utterly lost. With some more decades on me and a better understanding of storytelling & craft, I want to give it another go. 

If you are in the mood for something that captures the Christmas spirit but is off the beaten path of the films & specials that get rerun in perpetuity in the States, Tokyo Godfathers is a perfect pick. It meets all the criteria of what is included in the Christmas canon and is made with a quality that surpasses so much of what we watch endlessly this time of the year.