Back in 1999, Takashi Miike pulled an astonishing feat with “Audition”, starting a film that seemed like a family drama in the beginning, only to transform into a full-on brutal, horror/exploitation movie by the end, with the transition being one of the movie's best traits. Through the years, a number of filmmakers have tried to achieve the same, most of them failing, with the exception of “Hime-Anole”, that truly nailed the whole concept. Takayuki Kayano also attempts to mix two completely different narratives in his movie.
Journey Beyond the Night is screening at Skip City International D-Cinema Festival
Harutoshi is an aspiring manga writer, who has not managed to get a break however, since the book he has been preparing since his college years, was never been finished. To make ends meet, he works part time at a restaurant, although for the most part, he is being supported by his girlfriend, whom he shares an apartment with. As the story begins, he has submitted his work for a competition, but before getting the results, he goes on a trip with some of his college buddies, an endeavor that used to take place yearly in the past, but has not happened for some years. As they roam the roads of Saga prefecture, more details about their past lives are revealed. When they arrive at the cottage, however, his ex-girlfriend, Saya, joins them. Or is she?
Takayuki Kayano directs a film that begins as a road-movie/reunion comedy drama, with the first part focusing on introducing Harutoshi, and his relationship with the college “gang”, peppered with a number of stops in restaurants, which usually take a comedic approach, revolving around the fact that he does not eat onions. The pace is slow and smooth in general, and the approach the narrative takes, cheerful for the most part. When Harutoshi receives the news about the competition, however, and particularly after the brief appearance of Saya, everything changes. Immediately, as it becomes obvious that something is wrong with the protagonist.
The transition, however, is anything but smooth, to the point that the last part of the movie makes very little sense at all, even if Kayano someone ties it up together in the finale, which makes a comment about how inspiration can work for artists.
This element truly faults the overall quality of the movie, even though the individual parts, and particularly the exorcism, is quite well shot and rather entertaining, especially through the combination of cinematography, editing and SFX. Furthermore, the choice to change the narrative style is also a good one, because it happens right when the film was starting to become somewhat “a bit of the same”. If only the transition was better, along with the writing regarding that last part…
Yoshinari Takahashi in the leading role is quite good in his transformation, although he also suffers from the writing of his character in the second part.
Takayuki Nakano had a good idea, but the implementation of such a difficult transition proved too ambitious; however, the film definitely deserves a watch for its individual parts.
