"Tokyo!"

"Tokyo!" is a triptych from Michel Gondry, Leos Carax and Bong Joon-Ho.

Gondry's opener is filled with irresistible characters. A lovely tale, with an absurdist ending of charming magical realism.

Carax's is a challenge, and most folks would skip it. It is a flippant, modern take on Godzilla movies with a brutal philosophy that I would say rescues it from its fundamental silliness. ("What would you like for your final meal?" "Flowers. And cash.")

I adored Bong's closer more seeing it the second time. It builds to a profound ending. When that door handle jiggles, something truly magical happens. The overall thread running through all three films is the way in which humans in that city, living on top of each other, struggle to make that tactile connection.

[Seen at: The 2008 Santa Fe Film Festival and this past weekend at the Southwest Film Center at the University of New Mexico. Available on DVD.]