Two noted Japanese directors - Ryuhei Kitamura (VERSUS; AZUMI) and Yulkihiko Tsutsumi (BLACK JACK) - accepted a challenge to each make a film within 1 week, using only 1 set and as few actors as possible. They were both given a theme to work with: their respective films were to revolve around a duel to the death.
The loser was to shave their head in public. I have no idea what the criteria for "winning" was (or indeed who won), but the end results are now available in this nicely priced double-disc set from Tartan UK.
The first of the two features is Kitamura's ARAGAMI. The film begins one stormy night when two wounded samurai turn up at a candle-lit temple looking for shelter. They are welcomed by a mysterious lady, but one of them dies a short while later.
The surviving samurai (Takao Osawa, SKY HIGH) is given several days to rest and recover. When he awakes he is greeted by Tengu (Masaya Kato, THE LAST SUPPER) who invites him to eat and drink with him overnight. The samurai is initially reluctant - he's grateful for the treatment he's received, but eager to returns his friend's body to its hometown. But Tengu is insistent upon the samurai's company for the evening - and before long it becomes apparent why.
Tengu explains over a few jars that he is an aragami - an immortal demonic creature bound by fate to exist until he can find a samurai capable of slaying him in combat. The samurai laughs off this yarn to begin with but Tengu persists with his story until, inevitably, the two are compelled to engage in a fatal duel ...
ARAGAMI takes a while to let loose with the action, especially as this is a Kitamura picture, but once it gets going (about 27 minutes in) it gives a couple of superbly choreographed, protracted fight scenes that rank among the best he's shot. This is remarkable, considering the speed at which everything - camera, lighting, actors etc - must have been set up.
Working with a simpler, more straightforward plot than usual seems to benefit Kitamura too - there's less fuss here, allowing him instead to concentrate both on the action and the all-important human angles of his storytelling. The twist is weak though.
Elsewhere, performances are strong and amiable, the editing is slick and tight, and the set design is gorgeous - totally disguising the production's thin budget with vintage traditional decor and imaginative lighting. The end result is distinctly cinematic.
Tsutsumi's 2LDK is much rawer in comparison. In a good way.
Nozami and Lana are two aspiring actresses who share an apartment together - along with, it later transpires, the same man. We meet them one evening, a few hours after they have both auditioned for the lead role in an upcoming film, "Yakuza Wives". Lana tells Nozami that the early word from the producer is that one of them will definitely land the part.
As their evening progresses the two girls chat excitedly about what it would mean to them if they were to win the role. Nozami is the underdog, a bitter young soul from a deprived background who feels she is owed this break. Lana is the superficial 'It' girl-type from a wealthy background, attracted to the glamour of the business. Together they are polar opposites who get along politely on the surface, their slowly increasing contempt for each other initially confined to being revealed through narrated inner thoughts.
But these thoughts become verbal complaints against each other as the night draws in and tempers become more fraught. What starts off as amusingly petty gripes - Nozami irritated by Lana's singing; Lana accusing Nozami of helping herself to her designer perfume - swiftly escalates into violence as the girls' seething resentment for one another is forced into the open.
The madness begins with a simple slap across the face. Then takes in a kettle, a bathtub, a sword, a chain saw - and more.
2LDK is immensely entertaining fare. Its blackly comic tone and bitchy dialogue successfully counteract the darker moments that could have otherwise easily made this oppressive viewing. as it runs headlong after a slow start into a barrage of unrelenting acts of one-on-one violence.
Tsutsumi's feat is in carefully balancing the macabre underlying humour so as to not undermine the mood, but keep it from becoming too bleak at the same time. He's also managed to craft a film that is violent without ever being gross - again, it's all about the balance, which he has great control over.
The set design is a lot simpler that that on ARAGAMI's, yet no less striking in it's own simple way. The apartment is well lit, vividly coloured and oddly angular - recalling the ahead-of-their time sparsely decorated interiors of vintage Argento.
As for the plot, its simplicity is its strength: two characters with a grudge to bear, and a long night in together. The only flaw here is that such a thin premise relies on strong characters to lend it weight. 2LDK's characters are not likeable - they're both to calculated and bitter to empathise with, so it's hard to want to side with either girl. And there's again a twist in the tale that doesn't completely work.
It's impossible to compare ARAGAMI and 2LDK as they're both very different propositions. ARAGAMI is the most aesthetically pleasing (it's hard to conceive that both films were made on an identical budget - what did Tsutsumi do with his share?!), but also the more portentous with it's philosophising over mortality in-between scenes of swordplay. But 2LDK is the more entertaining of the two and - with some jaw dropping scenes of two petite women kicking the shit out of each other - is bound to be the one that provokes the most discussion.
Disc 1 houses the uncut ARAGAMI in a clear, pin-sharp anamorphic 1.78:1 transfer. Images are bright and vivid, making this a near-flawless presentation of the film.
Japanese audio is available in 2.0, 5.1 and 5.1 DTS mixes - all of which are superb. Removable English subtitles are, as ever, at hand.
The only extra on disc 1 is a trailer for the Project.
Disc 2 gives us 2LDK uncut, again in an anamorphic 1.78:1 transfer. It looks a little grainy and washed out in comparison, but still comes across as relatively sharp and perfectly watchable.
Again, audio is available in Japanese 2.0, 5.1 and 5.1 DTS mixes, with the option of English subtitles.
Extras here include the Project trailer, plus a fast-moving 18-minute Behind-The Scenes featurette and 25 minutes of footage from the film's premier, which includes an audience Q&A where Tsutsumi offers more insight into 2LDK's origins. All extras come equipped with optional English subtitles.
Both discs offer animated interactive menus, including scene-selection menus allowing access to each film via 16 chapters.
Recommended.
Review by Stuart Willis
Released by Tartan Asia Extreme |
Region All - PAL |
Rated 18 |
Extras : |
see main review |