Dodes'ka-den
A vividly stylized ensemble drama finds fragile dignity and imaginative refuge among impoverished residents of a Tokyo slum.
Overview
A poignant exploration of life in the shadows of Tokyo's slums, where hope flickers amidst despair.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- compassionate
- surreal
- arthouse film night
- japanese cinema retrospective
What critics said
Critics broadly recognize an ambitious, compassionate, visually striking color departure from Kurosawa, while acknowledging its uneven and divisive episodic form.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film interweaves Rokkuchan, the Sawagami family, Okuni, Yukichi Shima, and other Tokyo slum-dwellers.
Rokkuchan finds purpose in driving an imaginary streetcar, while other residents dream of escape from poverty.
Children scrounge or perform tedious, poorly paid work, while adults scheme within persistent economic deprivation.
Kurosawa's first color film applies vivid visual design to the garbage-dump slum and its residents' inner worlds.
Films like Dodes'ka-den, and why
The Lower Depths
shared humanist drama, interwoven working-class lives, and compassionate attention to poverty
The Little Fugitive
shared ensemble structure, social marginality, and emotionally direct depiction of impoverished communities
Bicycle Thieves
shared episodic storytelling, poetic realism, and focus on dignity amid deprivation
The Ballad of Narayama
shared colorful stylization, fractured community portrait, and tension between harsh reality and imaginative escape
Movie Details
- Director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Release Date
- 1970-10-31
- Runtime
- 140 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (162)
Cast
- Yoshitaka Zushi
- Kin Sugai
- Toshiyuki Tonomura
- Shinsuke Minami
- Yūko Kusunoki
- Junzaburō Ban
- Kiyoko Tange
- Michio Hino
- Keiji Furuyama
- Tappei Shimokawa
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Dodes'ka-den about?
- A vividly stylized ensemble drama finds fragile dignity and imaginative refuge among impoverished residents of a Tokyo slum.
- What is Dodes'ka-den like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dodes'ka-den as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Dodes'ka-den violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Dodes'ka-den as mild.
- What did critics think of Dodes'ka-den?
- Critics broadly recognize an ambitious, compassionate, visually striking color departure from Kurosawa, while acknowledging its uneven and divisive episodic form.
- Which films are like Dodes'ka-den?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lower Depths, The Little Fugitive, Bicycle Thieves, and The Ballad of Narayama.
- How long is Dodes'ka-den?
- Dodes'ka-den runs 140 minutes.
- Where can I watch Dodes'ka-den?
- In United States, Dodes'ka-den streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel.
