River (2023) [Film Review]

River; or, The Edge of Afternoon
     What will you wish for?
The year 2023 is coming to an end soon, but I managed to find some time to talk about yet another time-travel themed Japanese production. Yes, if you remember my review of Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes from 2021, then please do know that the creative team behind that movie created a companion piece known as River.

Release Info

Directed by: Junta Yamaguchi Starring: Riko Fujitani, Yuki Torigoe, Manami Honjo

Language: Japanese Original Title: リバー、流れないでよ Runtime: 86 min

Synopsis
Kibune is a small town situated in the northern mountains of Kyoto. There is a local inn situated next to a river. Mikoto (Riko Fujitani), who works at the inn, stands by the river and wishes that time could stop. All of a sudden, everybody at the inn experiences a 2-minute long time loop. Time passes only between 13:56 and 13:58 and then keeps resetting itself. Workers and guests join forces to uncover the mystery behind this phenomenon. In the process, they face their personal struggles.

Let’s move time!
I guess at this point it is safe to say that director Junta Yamaguchi and writer Makoto Ueda just can’t fail when it comes to crafting intimate, heartwarming stories about ordinary individuals who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, and have to figure out their way of the uncanny mess of a situation.

As you already know, I greatly enjoyed Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes, but in my opinion, River really tops Yamaguchi’s previous directorial endeavour not only because of its obvious wackiness, but also because of palpable warmth with a touch of romance and slice-of-life shenanigans.

One could easily scoff River as a straightforward Groundhog Day knock off, but think of the film as something in between Wood Job! (2014), The Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and Back to the Future (1985). The real charm of River comes not just from the meticulous screenplay, but great cinematography, absolutely outstanding locations, and onscreen chemistry.

Speaking about the last aspect, the performances of the leads are just as great as in the case of Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes. Riko Fujitani effortlessly carries the narrative as the main heroine, but the whole ensemble cast is absolutely amazing. Big shout out goes to J-Drama veteran Yoshimasa Kondo who appears in the film as a writer suffering from creative block.

To be honest, the only thing that did not entirely click with me was the ending. I do not want to get into any spoilers, but (similarly as in Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes) we get a resolution of the story straight from the realm of science fiction. Personally, I would have appreciated it if the finale was more personal rather than otherwordly.

Recommendations
All things considered, River is an outstanding movie indeed, and it could not be a better choice for Christmas time, at least for me. If you enjoyed One Cut of the Dead and Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes, then you will most certainly love this movie as well. The movie is going to be available on region-free Blu-Ray and DVD from Third Window Films on the 12th of February, 2024. The releases are going to include such special features as a theatrical trailer, an interview with director Junta Yamaguchi, and a one-hour long ‘making of’ documentary.Overall score: 10/10

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Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2021) [Film Review]

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes; or, Time Is But a Window
     That's exactly what happened! I became me and me. There was me and then me further back. I got home, and my future self greeted me!
Whoa, chotto matte kudasai! Japanese Cinema and time travel concept?! Yes, Japan CAN bend time and space without breaking your suspension of disbelief, in contrast to overblown Hollywood productions. I’m talking about a little, inconspicuous at first glance, movie called Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes directed by Junta Yamaguchi and written by Makoto Ueda. Please bear with me, dear readers, because this movie is a gem to be treasured and easily one of the best productions of 2021. Let’s synchronise our watches and explore it together.

Release Info

Directed by: Junta Yamaguchi Starring: Kazunari Tosa, Riko Fujitani, Aki Asakura

Language: Japanese Original Title: ドロステのはてで僕ら Runtime: 70 min

Synopsis
Kato (Kazunari Tosa) is the owner of a small café. His apartment is actually located one storey above the café. After a whole day of working, he returns to his flat only to discover that on his computer monitor there is an image of himself. Kato realises that his PC monitor shows what will happen two minutes in the future. What is more interesting, another screen downstairs in his café shows the past of two minutes ago. Kato and his friends place the two mysterious devices opposite each other, which creates an infinite loop, allowing them to see into the future beyond the limit of two minutes. Obviously, this uncanny situation is going to lead to many hilarious situations, moments of danger as well as paradoxes...

Back to the Present
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes starts off like a typical, peaceful slice-of-life drama, but do not let the appearances fool you. During the first 5 minutes of the film, it becomes apparent that this is a spiritual successor of One Cut of the Dead (2017), in terms of both the execution and a wild storyline.

The first half of the picture really goes at lengths to meticulously explain to viewers what on earth is happening on the screen. It goes without saying that the screenwriter was really into hard science and fantasy, which translated into movie language really well. Basically, the filmmaking team took the concept of Droste effect and gave it a time-travel spin. The only other movie I think of in which this idea was used is Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971).

Think of Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes as the light-hearted, comprehensible, and low-budget version of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet (2020) which compensates the lack of IMAX visuals with witty dialogue, heart-warming characters, and a touch of romance. The premise of the film is not so much meddling with time as in Back to the Future (1985) but more like blurring the boundaries between cause and effect as in Predestination (2014).

From the technical standpoint, I really have to praise the crew not only because of the fact that they went with one continuous shot method, but also because they shot the entire movie on a smartphone! Short making-of compilation during the end credits really shows hard work and passion of the makers.

With regard to performances, the cast is mainly composed of actors and actresses who up until this point in their careers played mainly secondary or guest roles in movies and jdramas. Huge respect to Kazunari Tosa as Kato, the main protagonist. I also loved the performances of Riko Fujitani as Aya, Kato’s easy-going employee, and Aki Asakura as Megumi, Kato’s neighbour and love interest.

Recommendations
All things considered, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is one of those movies for which I wish I could turn back time and “re-experience” for the first time over and over again. What made me watch it? Why I keep watching it? The cause became the effect and the effect became the cause. Maybe my future self in two minutes will explain the whole wibbly wobbly timey wimey affair to me (*laughs like Hououin Kyouma*)! Please make sure to hop into your DeLoreans and grab a region-free Blu-Ray/DVD release from Third Window Films, which comes out on the 15th of November! Bonus features include Howling: a short film, making-of featurette, and an interview with director Junta Yamaguchi.Overall score from 2 minutes in the future: 10/10

Overall score from 2 minutes ago: 10/10

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