The greatest Christmas story of them all?
The canon of classic Christmas stories has gained a new member with Tokyo Godfathers, and if the world were even the slightest bit fair this film would stand rock solid side by side with It's a Wonderful Life as the ultimate creator of Christmas atmosphere.
On Christmas Eve itself three homeless people - an alcoholic, a teenage runaway and an ageing drag artist - find an abandoned baby. They would really like to keep the child, but they search for the parents nonetheless. The search takes them around a wintry Tokyo where they meet people who can lead them towards a solution to the mystery, but who just as often have a link to their own past.
Tokyo Godfathers is a mystery, a comedy and a crime story, but most of all it is proof that animated film can be just as alive and just as moving as any live-action film. It does not require you to believe in Santa Claus or miracles, but insists that you believe in the goodness of people.
Film info
Running time: 1h 28min
Produced: Japan, 2003
Original title: Tôkyô goddofâzâzu
Director: Satoshi Kon
Audio: Japanese
Subtitles: English
Age rating: 9 years
Screening format: 4K DCP
