New Showbiz

You are here:
Tokyo Shaking

Tokyo Shaking

2021

Director

Olivier Peyon

Runtime

105 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

March 11, 2011. The biggest tsunami Japan has ever experienced triggers the Fukushima disaster. Risks are being downplayed but the foreign community in Tokyo is terrified by this tragic event and the fact that no one is capable of assessing its scope. Among them, Alexandra, a French executive newly arrived from Hong Kong to work in a bank, has to face this nuclear crisis. Torn apart between fol- lowing the company’s instructions and going back to her husband and children who are still in Hong Kong, she will find herself defending honor and given word, despite the pervading terror and chaos.

Where to Watch

Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

4.8/10

Fair

Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Minimal

The film contains no evidence of LGBTQ+ characters or narratives addressing non-cisnormative identities. The story focuses on heteronormative themes of family and corporate duty.

Gender Representation

Fair

Alexandra, a female executive, serves as the central agent of decision-making. This positioning disrupts traditional disaster tropes that typically favor male-led narratives during systemic crises.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Good

The narrative utilizes a transnational lens by focusing on the foreign community in Tokyo. The protagonist's French and Hong Kong background introduces a multicultural perspective to the drama.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Good

The film critiques institutional transparency during the Fukushima disaster. It explores the friction between Western-style corporate structures and the personal ethics of an expatriate living in Japan.

Disability Representation

Minimal

There is no mention of characters with visible or invisible disabilities. The documentation provides no information regarding disability representation within the story.

Strengths

  • Centers a female executive as the primary decision-maker during a crisis.
  • Explores a multicultural, transnational perspective through the foreign community in Tokyo.
  • Provides a nuanced look at the intersection of corporate loyalty and personal ethics.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisnormative characters.
  • Provides no visible or invisible disability representation within the narrative.
  • The extent of supporting cast diversity remains unquantified.

AI Analysis

Tokyo Shaking is a character-driven drama that uses the 2011 Fukushima disaster to examine the agency of a female expatriate. The film succeeds in centering a woman within a high-stakes professional and personal crisis, moving away from standard male-centric disaster tropes. The narrative gains strength from its transnational perspective, focusing on the foreign community's experience during a national catastrophe. This provides a multicultural lens that challenges the homogeneity often found in domestic dramas. However, the film lacks representation for LGBTQ+ individuals and characters with disabilities. While it explores complex moral and cultural tensions, these specific demographic gaps limit its overall diversity impact.

How are these scores produced? →

Rate this Movie

No rating selected
Use arrow keys to select a rating from 1 to 5 stars
Optional text review, maximum 2000 characters
Tip: Wrap spoilers with ||double pipes|| to hide them
0/2000 characters
You must be signed in to submit a rating

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts on this movie!

Use the rating form above to leave a star rating and optional review.