Tokyo!

"Three tall tales. one big city."

2008 1h 52m JA

👍

6.9

SOLID

🍅

76%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 275🍅76%Rotten Tomatoes●63Metacritic★7IMDB · 12,084

ComedyDramaFantasyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Three distinct tales unfold in the bustling city of Tokyo. Merde, a bizarre sewer-dweller, emerges from a manhole and begins terrorizing pedestrians. After his arrest, he stands trial and lashes out at a hostile courtroom. A man who has resigned himself to a life of solitude reconsiders after meeting a charming pizza delivery woman. And finally, a happy young couple find themselves undergoing a series of frightening metamorphoses.

“Three tall tales. one big city.”

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Cast

Ayako Fujitani
Hiroko (segment "Interior Design")
Denis Lavant
Merde' (segment "Merde")
Teruyuki Kagawa
Man (segment "Shaking Tokyo")
Ryo Kase
Akira (segment "Interior Design")
Jean-François Balmer
Maître Voland (segment "Merde")
Yu Aoi
Pizza-Delivery Girl (segment "Shaking Tokyo")
Ayumi Ito
Akemi (segment "Interior Design")
Renji Ishibashi
Advocate General (segment "Merde")

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bong Joon Ho
Writers: Leos Carax, Bong Joon Ho, Michel Gondry
Languages: English, French, Japanese
Countries: South Korea, Germany, Japan, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: South Korea, Germany, Japan, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bong Joon Ho, shot by Caroline Champetier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Étienne Charry. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nelly Quettier shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ayako Fujitani and Denis Lavant and Teruyuki Kagawa carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Three tall tales. one big city.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bong Joon Ho directs. Caroline Champetier behind the camera. Étienne Charry scores. Nelly Quettier cuts. Produced in South Korea, Germany, Japan, France. Dialogue in English, French, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 18 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Japanese.
3International production across 4 countries: South Korea, Germany, Japan, France.
4Directed by Bong Joon Ho, shot by Caroline Champetier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Étienne Charry. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Nelly Quettier shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Ayako Fujitani and Denis Lavant and Teruyuki Kagawa carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Three tall tales. one big city.".
9IMDB entry: tt0976060 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.