Tony Takitani (2004)

88% of critics liked it
(52 reviews)
80% of users liked it
(4,179 ratings)

A man who has lived a life of emotional isolation discovers the dark side of falling in love in this drama from Japanese filmmaker Jun Ichikawa. Tony Takitani (Issey Ogata) is the son of a Japanese musician with a passion for jazz who spent most of World War II in Shanghai, and was later sentenced… More A man who has lived a life of emotional isolation discovers the dark side of falling in love in this drama from Japanese filmmaker Jun Ichikawa. Tony Takitani (Issey Ogata) is the son of a Japanese musician with a passion for jazz who spent most of World War II in Shanghai, and was later sentenced to a stretch in prison following the war. Tony was named in honor of an American serviceman who befriended his father, but his name also earned him the suspicion of his classmates, and he had few close friends as a child, a situation aggravated by the death of his mother. While Tony displayed great technical skill as an artist, his work lacked feeling, and he ended up pursuing a successful career as a technical illustrator. One day, Tony meets Eiko Konuma (Rie Miyazawa), a beautiful woman working with one of his clients, and he is immediately entranced. Feeling as if he's found his soul mate, Tony becomes fully inspired for the first time in his life, and soon asks Eiko for her hand in marriage. Eiko accepts, but before long Tony discovers she has a financially ruinous fondness for expensive designer clothes. When Tony asks Eiko to cut back on her shopping sprees, it triggers a series of events which show Eiko isn't all Tony imagined her to be, and throws his new satisfaction with life into turmoil. Tony Takitani received its North American premiere at the 2004 Vancouver Film Festival, and was also screened as part of the World Cinema series at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 15 min.
Directed By: Jun Ichikawa
Written By: Jun Ichikawa, Haruki Murakami
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Jul 29, 2005 Limited
On DVD: Jan 10, 2006
Studio: Strand Releasing

Critic Reviews

Kristin Tillotson, Minneapolis Star Tribune
An ethereal modern fable without a moral, Tony Takatani seeps into the soul and lingers. For filmgoers in search of a quietly absorbing escape, it might be the perfect holiday-movie antidote.
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle
Though it falters as a narrative, Tony Takitani sticks in the mind with its poetic contemplativeness.
Teresa Wiltz, Washington Post
It's a marvelously moody meditation, beautiful to look at and beautiful to ponder as the camera slowly pans from one scene to the next, framing life as still life.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
It's a film for specialized tastes, quiet, delicate. But it suits those tastes beautifully.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Tony Takitani, fablelike and beautiful, requires a certain amount of patience, but its small, peculiar charms work their way into your soul.
Neva Chonin, San Francisco Chronicle
Whether you view it as a metaphor for a country or a singular study of the human condition, Tony Takitani explores the borders between solitude and loneliness, hunger and consumption, memory and loss.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Scarcely satisfies, yet it lingers -- limpidity of image along with imperceptible epiphanies
Anton Bitel, Film4
What makes this documentary stand out is the manner in which it mimics the aloof poetry of the film.
Anton Bitel, Film4
Ichikawa brilliantly captures Murakami's blend of whimsy, irony and melancholy, while finding intelligent and inventive ways to convert the author's verbal idiosyncrasies to a visual medium.
David Noh, Film Journal International
This could reverently be called a model of minimalism, but I am more inclined to call it dull as dishwater.
Rudy Joggerst, Reel.com
Jun Ichikawa's adaptation of a short story by celebrated Japanese novelist Haruki Murakama is a quiet ode to isolation, loss, and our human desire to love and be loved.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Filme de construção poética e delicada, encanta pelo tocante estudo de personagens e por discutir, através de seus quadros reveladores, temas complexos como a solidão, a natureza da memória, fetiches e obsessões.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
An impressive achievement.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Jun Ichikawa's slight, lovely little drama understands the pleasure of seeing, using many quiet, patient takes to absorb its delicate visuals.
Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com
embodies that lose-lose conundrum we all face: loneliness is painful, but finding and then losing love is just as bad
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Ichikawa evokes the heady and suffocating effect of the past playing irrevocable catch-up with itself.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Saskia D

I couldn't imagine how one of Murakami's stories could be captured on film. But I must say, that Jun Ichikawa did a great job! I loved how the characters seemed to belong in the clean and simple surroundings they were in. It was consistent with the way Murakami describes his… More
I couldn't imagine how one of Murakami's stories could be captured on film. But I must say, that Jun Ichikawa did a great job! I loved how the characters seemed to belong in the clean and simple surroundings they were in. It was consistent with the way Murakami describes his characters and their surroundings. I don't know man, I'm not a critic, I'm a fan, and Ichikawa can count on my support :)
Lanning :

An extremely quiet movie, so if you're into action, this isn't for you. This one captures best the mix of loneliness, discovered love, and missed opportunities for connection -- all hallmarks of Haruki Murakami's fiction. The very last telephone hang-up touches the… More
An extremely quiet movie, so if you're into action, this isn't for you. This one captures best the mix of loneliness, discovered love, and missed opportunities for connection -- all hallmarks of Haruki Murakami's fiction. The very last telephone hang-up touches the very core of Murakami's vision of modern life and love. Although this film is less "magical" than Murakami can be at the height of his stories, there is at least quirkiness which could easliy turn magically into something surreal. Good examples are the car accident that results from an obsession with clothing, or the empty closet dream sequence. Putting Murakami on film with any kind of truth to the text must be a daunting task.
Luke B

Such a small and quiet yet enchanting film. An incredibly slow pace may make this film seem long, but it is so emotional the journey is worth it. Perfectly capturing Murakami's original narrative, it is reminiscent of the work of Yasujiro Ozu. Not a film for everyone but one that… More
Such a small and quiet yet enchanting film. An incredibly slow pace may make this film seem long, but it is so emotional the journey is worth it. Perfectly capturing Murakami's original narrative, it is reminiscent of the work of Yasujiro Ozu. Not a film for everyone but one that many will appreciate for it's honesty and restrained performances.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]The eponymous character of "Tony Takitani" is a son of a jazz musician. Takitani is himself a gifted artist but since he is so detached from human emotion, he is much more suited for drawing mechnical illustrations and makes a very successful living… More
[font=Century Gothic]The eponymous character of "Tony Takitani" is a son of a jazz musician. Takitani is himself a gifted artist but since he is so detached from human emotion, he is much more suited for drawing mechnical illustrations and makes a very successful living from that. Into his life comes a woman 15 years his junior. The first thing that Takitani notices about her is her clothes and how well she wears them. This is never a good sign by the way...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Tony Takitani" is a short effective mood piece that concerns itself what it means to be truly alone. It also comments quite well on the nature of materialism. I found it interesting that the camera spent most of the movie panning to the right.[/font]
Lesley N

I love Haruki Murakami's stories, so I was predisposed to love this, and Ichikawa does a sterling job of turning a slight delicate tale into a slight, delicate film that conveys all the complexities of a life lived and a relationship won and lost, never hitting you over the head… More
I love Haruki Murakami's stories, so I was predisposed to love this, and Ichikawa does a sterling job of turning a slight delicate tale into a slight, delicate film that conveys all the complexities of a life lived and a relationship won and lost, never hitting you over the head with a plot line, and always leaving a little space for unanswered questions and imagined what-ifs. Magical.