2023 JAPAN CUTS: FESTIVAL OF NEW JAPANESE FILM REVIEW!
One morning Takeru (Reiji Takahashi) wakes to death and destruction–and a phone call that will determine the fate of his closest friend. He is unwillingly pulled into the Setagaya Game, one that will see him forced to physical, mental, and emotional limits. Yet, something seems off–like he’s not getting the whole story. This game may not be what Takeru believes it to be; it’s possibly far worse.
I struggled to get into the narrative at times, and Setagaya Game struggled to entertain me in more ways than one. The thing that continued to appeal to me throughout the duration of the film, however, was the choreography. Takeru is constantly seen running through the streets, down alleyways, and fighting seemingly random individuals–but the camera always captures him in the best possible light. There is a ton of movement throughout the course of this film; it honestly feels like Takeru never sits still–and this fast-paced short film moves quickly. Without perfect cinematography I’m not sure that Setagaya Game comes to life in the way that Directors Go Ohara and Ken Ohara had hoped.
Poor sound editing plagues the film in some of its most pivotal moments. There are sharp, abrupt cuts from scene to scene throughout Setagaya Game that cause the film to feel frumpy and incohesive. I couldn’t help but to roll my eyes in these moments, as this feels like the attention to detail was lacking in this regard. The majority of the film is edited well, which means the team is more than capable of achieving their editing goals–and that makes the mistakes even more frustrating.
The subtitles seem off from time to time, and for those who are able to understand Japanese, that’s fine and dandy (because they don’t need them). But for viewers like me, I’d imagine the majority of viewers, not knowing what the characters are saying is a detriment to the viewing experience and the film as a whole. I can’t confirm that there are issues with the subtitles, as I don’t speak Japanese. However, based on the context and the things occurring at certain times throughout Setagaya Game, the words that appear on screen feel out of place. Much like the editing (and if the subtitles are actually wrong), this is frustrating because it’s not a result of lack of ability but, again, lack of attention to detail.
The film is significantly longer than it needed to be. Twenty minutes would have been more than enough time to tell this story, yet Setagaya Game is twice that. The first twenty minutes of the film is necessary, and it feels completely separate from the second half of the film. Through the first twenty minutes, even with its issues, I loved the film. The adrenaline that pumped through its veins was infectious, and I think just about every second of the first half of the film had viewers on the edges of their seats as a result of how fast paced it is.
I really wanted to like Setagaya Game, because there is a lot to appreciate about it. The story (at least the first twenty-ish minutes) is appealing and the choreography and cinematography that bring the fast-paced nature of the film to life are spectacular. The film runs far too long and there are issues that appear to stem from laziness which is far worse than mistakes that happen from lack of talent. Setagaya Game gets the ball rolling early, but it loses its way about halfway through–and it never finds its way back.
Directed by Go Ohara & Ken Ohara.
Starring Reiji Takahashi, Akari Natsume, Sho Iisaka, Makoto Endo, Katsuyuki Miyake, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
