About the Film
In his directorial debut “Excited Death”, Kohei Inoue unites two stalkers – Namiko (whose name translates as “Average Child”) and Junpei Watanabe (Kensuke Tanaka) in their unrealistic attempt to win over the hearts of their unsuspecting love interests. By mixing stills and material shot on diverse locations in significantly dissimilar colour palettes as the introduction to the titular character's self-narrated life, Inoue uses the formula of fast forwarded, repetitive images, practical in their ability to be recycled at any given moment. One can only hope that first-time cinematographer Ryo Hirai will continue his path, for the job he did on “Excited Death” looks impressive.
Synopsis
Eccentric humor as the leitmotif draws inspiration from predominantly American influences, be it as the parody on teenage love comedies in which a nerdy girl turns into a looker over night by disposing of her glasses, or by introducing some of the side characters in a Wes Anderson manner;A transition from one daily routine to the other – this time primarily focused on stalking, is announced by a music video-like rep sequence performed by Namiko who in real life is none else that the Japanese singer/ songwriter NakanoMARU. Her songs composed for the film, melancholic tunes about the un-returned love and longing, will become the glue between the main protagonist's inner and outer world. At the same time, they have a very strong ironic side, mocking the obsessive nature of people's amorousness. “Excited Death” is generally carried by NakanoMARU ‘s multifaceted talent. Trivial as it sounds, it is still interesting that she is seen wearing one of the dresses from her music video “QU” in one of the film's crucial scenes of “seduction”.
