Tokyo Godfathers

Japan 2003, 92 minutes
Dir. Satoshi Kon, Shogo Furuya
In Japanese with English subtitles
Rating: [M]
Genres: Cult, Drama / Animation, Anime

Aroview: An unusual 'dramatic' anime, which concerns three down-and-outs in Tokyo who rescue an abandoned baby and struggle to knit together a makeshift family.

The dir. of PERFECT BLUE (Kon) again breaks new territory with a distinctly adult blend of irony, sentiment and rich characterisations - the three heroes are an alcoholic, a drag queen and a pre-teen girl - as well as oblique references to the John Wayne film 3 GODFATHERS. For animation fans, there is also a welter of moody futuristic design to savour.

NZ International Film Festival 2004