Exit 8

 

      Based on a Japanese video game, the film faithfully recreates the look and feel of the game with just a few changes. Director Genki Kawamura, who also co-wrote the screenplay invites the viewer to experience the game in a cinematic way. This is not a horror film but rather a metaphysical puzzle that needs to be solved by both the protagonist and the viewer.

       The film stars Kazunari Ninomiya as "The Lost Man" who becomes trapped in a underground subway passage in a seemingly endless loop. As he repeatedly navigates the corridors leading to Exit 8, he encounters "The Walking Man", played by Yamato Kochi, "The Boy", played by Naru Asanuma and "The High School Girl", played by Kotone Hanase. Nana Komatsu plays the "Lost Man's" ex-girlfriend, who at the beginning of the film, we find out, is pregnant and unsure if she wants to keep the baby.

        We are told that there are anomalies each time "The Lost Man" navigates the corridor and part of the fun for the viewer is trying to spot them before he does. What the film means is open to interpretation but I suspect one of its elements is a deliberate commentary on contemporary Japanese society.  And while I have my own theory about what it all means to "The Lost Man", I will keep that to myself and let the viewer decide for themselves.

        If you are fascinated by a mobius strip and the art of M.C. Escher, this is a film for you.