R100 (Matsumoto, 2013): Japan

Reviewed by: Timothy Petersson     Viewed at AFI filmfestival 2013

R100 directed by japanse director Hitushi Matsumoto is not your average feature length film both in terms of content and when contrasting it to conventional Hollywood cinema yet however grasps the viewers’ attention with its profound hilarious content.

The protagonist of the film is Takafumi Katayam, a seemingly very flat and dull character working a nine to five job at a furniture store. However soon it becomes clear that he has found himself in what one could call a midlife crisis and furthermore is trying to break away from his dull repetitive existence. He does so by joining a so called Bondage club that infuses the act of bondage into his everyday life.

The final outcome of this films premise entails women dressed in tight leather revealing outfits giving Takafumi his daily dose of bondage in terms of beatings and pure humiliation. Although the films storyline is seemingly inconsistent and choppy in terms of editing and continuity the film encompasses quite stylistic elements mostly in terms of its mise en scene and cinematography.

The overall tone of the film is very grungy with an overall very desaturated look. Particularly In the opening scenes, the director of photography gives the film a look very close to what one could consider to be Film Noir in terms of very desaturated colors and excessive shadows contrasting the light. In the light of this, one might even dare that to say that the D.P employed the conventional concepts of Chiaroscuro. Additionally in terms of its cinematography there was not much remarkable about It, however some interesting camera angles are employed allowing for an interesting composition, for instance the camera placed next to a toilet and several Dutch angles.

When looking at the editing, it might be considered quite choppy from time to time, and transitions sometimes fail to include a good establishing shot which at times compromises the continuity of the film. However it is clear that the editor did not attempt to adhere to any conventional editing techniques as obvious as certain scenes include back and forth cutting merely for a comedic effect. With that being said, the editor at times brilliantly does match editing, in rhythm with the music and diegetic sound effects, for instance at one point a tea kettle’s screeching sets the rhythm for the edit.

Ultimately one could not possible call R100 a cinematic masterpiece; however it is a remarkable exploitation film in terms of its obscene content and will surely make you cringe of laughter.