Director: Jissoji Akio.This is the fifth work I have seen of his.I decided to watch this as Andre recommended it, and the runtime is quite short, making this an easy watch compared to Mandala 1971.I watched a film with a shorter runtime, as I am going to watch Red Desert by Michelangelo Antonioni and Fitzcarraldo by Werner Herzog Tomorrow, and hence a less mentally straining film was preferred.The film still packed a punch even with the runtime constraints and is tightly wound in an unsettling way. The film is incredibly slow-paced, and the viewer feels every second of it.The film revolves around idiotic young adults who decide to make a game out of a life and death situation, that is, they decided to sit in an enclosed room with natural gas flowing in it. The last one to leave would be the winner, they decided. The film shows us the problems that arise without actually considering the repercussions before engaging in destructive endeavours, and that if one half asses it, they will always fail.Now, as it is written by Oshima, I assume there is a deeper meaning that I am unable to understand, or it was just overall middling.It might mean that the future of Japan, the youth, needs to work better and think things through to shape a better future, rather than sitting in their rooms and engaging in mindless activities.The ending with the girl crying could be because she didn't have it in her to follow it through. She is coming face-to-face with the fact that she became overwhelmed with doubt when it mattered, and thus, she is no better.Though the themes it has are interesting, the way it concludes is incredibly weak and leaves one unsatisfied.
Director: Jissoji Akio.This is the fifth work I have seen of his.I decided to watch this as Andre recommended it, and the runtime is quite short, making this an easy watch compared to Mandala 1971.I watched a film with a shorter runtime, as I am going to watch Red Desert by Michelangelo Antonioni and Fitzcarraldo by Werner Herzog Tomorrow, and hence a less mentally straining film was preferred.The film still packed a punch even with the runtime constraints and is tightly wound in an unsettling way. The film is incredibly slow-paced, and the viewer feels every second of it.The film revolves around idiotic young adults who decide to make a game out of a life and death situation, that is, they decided to sit in an enclosed room with natural gas flowing in it. The last one to leave would be the winner, they decided. The film shows us the problems that arise without actually considering the repercussions before engaging in destructive endeavours, and that if one half asses it, they will always fail.Now, as it is written by Oshima, I assume there is a deeper meaning that I am unable to understand, or it was just overall middling.It might mean that the future of Japan, the youth, needs to work better and think things through to shape a better future, rather than sitting in their rooms and engaging in mindless activities.The ending with the girl crying could be because she didn't have it in her to follow it through. She is coming face-to-face with the fact that she became overwhelmed with doubt when it mattered, and thus, she is no better.Though the themes it has are interesting, the way it concludes is incredibly weak and leaves one unsatisfied.
