Viewed at CineMatsuri 2015. Director Yoshihiro Nakamura utilizes a murder mystery plot device as a vehicle to explore troubling facets of modern Japanese society. This is a clever , original, but also somewhat derivative photo play. The Director simultaneously exploits an on-screen mash up of multiple contemporary communication media to tell his tale. Pictorial presentation of the flow of instant messaging is especially well done. Nakamura also shows a subculture seldom (if ever) seen by those living on the outside. It is the working environment of female office clerks and low-level salary women. And the explosive impact that seemingly trivial matters can have by engendering mental illness and murder. The shallow nature and undue influence of 7/24 social media on those who follow and engage in these communication channels is repeatedly underlined. There is an abundance of red herring and misinformation as well as subtitle cues as to the identity of the murder. Nakamura uses the common murder mystery mechanism (especially on TV) of repeating the same scene over and over again, each time from a different character's point of view to slowly remove question marks on viewers' collective foreheads and unmask the culprit. The film is much too long and padded with mostly irrelevant childhood experiences apparently to add depth to character development (and to further engage the viewer using cute child actors?). The closing scenes are clearly contrived (one gets the feeling that multiple endings may have been shot and someone other than the Director picked this one). Cinematography (1.78 aspect ratio, color) and lighting are excellent. Set decoration seems a bit inconsistent. Music fits in well with other film components. Subtitles are fine. However, only above-the-line names are translated in the credits. Highly recommended. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.
