BY JOHN CARTER JR
On Christmas Eve in Tokyo, three misfit homeless people (Hana, Gin, and Miyuki) attend a nativity play as they attempt to stay out of the cold. The trio acts as a sort of family unit, one that sticks together through their shared hardship after the lives that lead them here. That’s until they stumble upon a baby who has been left in a trash heap. Throughout a series of events, the group – who is moved by the presence of the innocent life – decides to look for the baby’s parents to see why they abandoned her. Their search takes the trio on a tour of Tokyo, where the audience is left to wonder what will become of the miracle child under the watchful eye of her newfound Guardian angels.
Released in 2003, Tokyo Godfathers is an animated film directed by legendary director Satoshi Kon (The creator of Perfect Blue, Paranoia Agent, and Paprika). The film is a slice-of-life drama that also serves as an action-adventure film. It tells the life journey of each member of its homeless cast while also giving each character integral personal development all throughout the film. The film uses hope, determination, and the miracle of life as the driving forces behind the character’s actions. It shows us that while the trio might be down on their luck, they are human beings with fully-lived lives and lives ahead.
Tokyo Godfathers is the perfect blend of drama, action, and comedy. Not only is the backstory for each character heartbreaking, but in the moments they experience together on this journey, they are able to find healing and growth. They all have a reason for helping the poor abandoned child. Hana, as a trans woman, never thought she could be a mother and was abandoned herself. Gin had lost his chance to be a father to his own daughter due to problems with money leaving him estranged from his wife and child. Miyuki seems to see herself in the child being a runaway herself after a horrible incident at home.
The film is set up with trials specifically tailored to its cast that also have wholesome and positive payoffs. The world is exquisitely drawn, which not only makes it feel lived in but expresses a balance between the rough dark side of Tokyo and the light of the innocent child to guide them through it all. The film does not shy away from the homelessness struggle, allowing all the good and the ugly to be on display throughout the film. Their willingness and perseverance to help this child set up an arc for each of the characters to allow them to become heroes. It conveys the message that not only is every life important but also that no one is trash. Although they may be disrespected, this family of homeless people has goodness in their hearts and are kind human beings. At the end of it all, even the baby’s parents recognize the goodness in these three heroes and, regardless of the fact that they are homeless, want to make them the child’s godparents.
Tokyo Godfathers is a film about hope. It tells the story of three human beings who were down on their luck but grew to confront their struggles and haunted pasts in order to help an innocent. The film is about how even those who are most disrespected and unfortunate still do the right thing from the goodness in their hearts. As a group often stigmatized, the film humanizes the poor and destitute. Giving the audience much to think about with their own assumptions and feelings about homelessness. It is a powerful film and reminds us that even in the darkest corners of life, there are people willing to sacrifice to help others, even when they have nothing to gain from it.
I gave Tokyo Godfathers 10 out of 10 Christmas lights for its emotional storytelling, main cast, and its representation of heroism.
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