Map of the Sounds of Tokyo (2009)

A dramatic thriller that centers on a fish-market employee who doubles as a contract killer.

Director:

Isabel Coixet

Writer:

Isabel Coixet

Stars:

Rinko Kikuchi, Sergi López, Min Tanaka

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Rinko Kikuchi	...	Ryu
Sergi López	...	David
Min Tanaka	...	Narrador
Manabu Oshio	...	Yoshi
Takeo Nakahara	...	Nagara
Hideo Sakaki	...	Ishida
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kôsuke Hishinuma
Jun Matsuo	...	Pukka
Joan Potau
Josep Sandoval

Storyline

A dramatic thriller that centers on a fish-market employee who doubles as a contract killer.

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Plot Keywords:

fish market | title directed by female | softcore | female frontal nudity | male frontal nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

Spain

Language:

Japanese English Catalan

Release Date:

28 August 2009 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Carte des sons de Tokyo

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mediapro, Versátil Cinema

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Isabel Coixet claims that she came up with the idea of Rinko Kikuchi's character while promoting The Secret Life of Words (2005) in Tokyo. Coixet was taking pictures during a walk through the city. She arrived at a fish market and tried to take one of a girl who was cleaning fish. The girl refused to get photographed, so Coixet started imagining possible reasons for that refusal.

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Goofs

After David joins Ryu at the Love Hotel after cutting his hand, Rinko Kikuchi (Ryu) is laying on a couch. Her shoulder is covered in the two close ups but largely uncovered after the cut where the camera is further from her.

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Crazy Credits

After the final credits there's a short scene with the mysterious plant person in the subway tunnel.

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Connections

Featured in Fantasmes! Sexe, fiction et tentations (2013)

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Soundtracks

One Dove
Performed by Antony and the Johnsons

User Reviews

just beautiful

Simply beautiful. Painstakingly pictured. Full of layers of imagery and sound. The visions and sounds themselves are heart stopping. The strong female lead Ryu, played by Rinko Kikuchi, is stunning and heartbreaking. People overlook how rare it is to have a strong unusual female lead like this in any movie. The drama unfolds delicately, each scene a piece of art that draws you into its suspense and passion. The story is sad but not contrived; the writing is poetry. Writer and director Isabel Coixet's unique artistic view gives fresh color to each scene. Map of the Sounds of Tokyo isn't a cliché about different cultures or living abroad, it is simply a good story filmed like a movie should be.