R100 (Hitoshi Matsumoto, 2013): Japan

Reviewed by Andres Cruz. Viewed at the AFI Fest 2013.

R100 totally blow my mind. Genre? I don’t really know but I know that is totally a worth watching movie. The opening scene of the movie is extremely captivating and it captures your attention to a point that you can’t even blink for a second. It is really interesting how director Hitoshi Matsumoto introduces the first female character of the movie, and manipulates our attention by the use of camera angles, camera movement and acting of the female character. This film was elected by the AFI Film Fest. And it was presented in the midnight screenings of the fest.

I watched R100 at the Chinese Theater 4, and many of the actors of the film were there, making this screening totally interesting. Director Hitoshi Matsumoto is well-known for his screenplays and T.V. Shows presented in Japan, “Big Man Japan” or “Symbol” are some of his creations. Powerful, original and completely creative are some of the words that describe this film as well as the acting of every single character of the film.

Mao Daichi is a regular father, with a normal job and the normal routine of a japanese father  consumed by the exhaustive work of the Japanese people. He, eventually decides to enter a very weird and random club in which he will find some kind of pleasure that is going to take control of his life at some point. Mao doesn’t realize that this dangerous club is involved with his little son and his other relatives, and that he has to take care of his life before it is too late. Violence and surreal themes are showed through the entire movie.

The special effects are amazing. It is a combination of creativity, good cinematography and very well acting. The music fits perfect in the movie and also it complements the entire film. The editing, continuity and matches of each take and scene gives a very nice flow to the movie that keep all the audience involved and focused in the film. It is very dreamy and what it is very interesting is that it combines point of view of the audience, plus story and a earthquake problem that exist in Japan. It makes fun of the Japanese’s earthquakes all the time which makes this film completely funny for the viewer.

I have never watched a film that is Similar to R100. But many people can feel identified with this film, so the scenes and story is something that you can dream about. Perhaps, this is the common nightmare that you have at nights. That nightmare or dream that anything is possible, that dream that you are here in the present but in the blink of an eye you are in a complete different place. This is R100.

Art lovers are the ones who have to watch this film. Cinema is pure entertaining and a naked expression of the idea of the filmmaker, that is the complete definition of R100, a representation of a great idea putting on the screen for us, to be entertained. Perhaps, it would be really hard to rate this movie. But in my opinion if you are not older than a 100 years old you are not allowed to watch this film. Excellent.