Jigoku no banken: kerubersu

Terribly misleading film. From the cover art to the synopsis to the fact that it's a sequel to The Red Spectacles, it's easy to assume that this would be another insane sci-fi weird-out. But no, this film is slow, meticulous, delicate and at times insanely beautiful. How silly I felt when I thought I was watching the wrong movie and had to look up screenshots and other reviews to see if I was or not. It really recalls Takeshi Kitano, predating his work with Sonatine and Hana-Bi. Static shots, emphasis on backgrounds, light on dialogue. Quite a gap in style from its Seijun Suzuki-esque predecessor. The characters mainly have fun on holiday and fall in love to incredible, emotive music. There's nothing too challenging or esoteric, though it's not necessarily exciting or bent on narrative. Just a gorgeous, emotionally resonant piece of work.