You get born into one culture yet you dream of living in another culture. Pen pals were a great way to have a friend in a different part of the world.
In Tokyo Cowboy, No Ogawa (Hiromoto Ida) is Japanese but he envisions himself as a cowboy on the Alberta plains. No spent his childhood being pen pals with Kate Beatty (Christianne Hirt).
Kate and No haven't written each other in years. Suddenly, No appears in her small Alberta town.
Kate is living with her love Shelly (Janne Mortil), a secret in her community, especially from her mother. She is also no longer a cowgirl but an artist.
No ends up at Kate's old address where Kate's mother lives. She convinces No to stay with her while she works on Kate on behalf of No.
Director Kathy Garneau and writer Caroline Adderson give us a kind and gentle experience. No is welcomed into the community. No spends more time with Shelly, who is interested in his Japanese culture. Bill (Alec Willows), a local postman, befriends No and teaches him how to be a real cowboy. Turns out Kate's mother (Anna Ferguson) knows more about Kate than Kate thinks she does.
In his native Japan, No is a fast-food worker and not a very good one. In Canada, No gets a chance to live out his dreams as a cowboy.
Tokyo Cowboy gives us individual characters who aren't there as supporters. Every major character gets a chance to shine. The film encourages the audience to be accepting of different dreams and approaches to life.
You might not think this 1994 film will be memorable but once you have seen it, you won't forget this film. (There is a different film with the same name that may come up in searches. This is the 1994 film.)
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Tokyo Cowboy is available on Tubi in the United States.
photo credit: Tokyo Cowboy
video credit: shadowraven0504
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