The Movie: Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
The Director: Junta Yamaguchi
The Cast: Kazunori Tosa, Aki Asakura, Gota Ishida, Riko Fujitan, Masashi Suwa, Yoshifumi Sakai, Haruki Nakagawa, Takashi Sumita, Munenori Nagano, Chikara Honda
The Story: A cafe owner discovers that the TV in his cafe suddenly shows images from the future, but only two minutes into the future.
The Review:
What a fun and imaginative bit of science fiction storytelling this turned out to be! The filmmakers have done something really fun and unique with the idea of time travel by introducing a concept I have never thought of before and one that fits perfectly with the comedic tone of the movie. Since this is a Japanese movie and it is made to look like the whole thing was shot in one take, there are inevitable comparisons to One Cut of the Dead which is one of my favorite movies of the last decade although I'm not really on board with that.
What it does have in common with Shin'ichirô Ueda's surprise zombie hit is the same sense of light hearted fun at it's core and also a very indie, almost DIY, style of filmmaking that just adds layers to its charm and appeal. I'm sure tons of planning and preparation went into getting every detail right but it also feels like it was just thrown together and improvised and I mean all of that in the best possible way. The cast really seems to be having fun with all the crazy twists and turns which helped to keep me engaged almost as if I was right there with them.
I don't want to go into the story at all other than the basic premise because just about every scene is a reveal of some type and there ends up being so many layers and I guess we'll say timelines that half the fun is keeping track of it all. With that in mind, this is by no means on the level of a Christopher Nolan mind bender so don't worry about having to strain your brain too hard to follow along, it's all about just having a great time with a really unique adventure.
The Verdict:
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is a refreshing take on time travel and time loops all rolled into a super fun sci-fi comedy. This is one of those organically entertaining indie films that should be a crowd pleaser wherever it plays.
To keep track of all my reviews and festival coverage please go to: TwoOhSix at Nightstream 2021.
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