The concept of the bar that exists in a timespace continuum has been explored before in the Japanese industry, with the anime “Bartender” being an excellent title that moves in that specific path. Jun Kitamikado, after 25 years of hiatus returns to movies with a title that is based on the concept, but eventually moves towards sci/fi dystopian paths.
Reunion is screening at Japan Filmfest Hamburg
The bar's name is “Reunion” and as the story begins, Mika, a girl who finds that her legs have become robotic, is to take the place of the previous bartender, Yuri, who has been serving there for 100 years, according to the instructions of Doc, a mysterious man who claims to have saved the former girl. Mika is perplexed but agrees with no particular protest, soon beginning to serve a series of patrons who come from everywhere (and every when) to relax and have a drink. The story then proceeds through Mika's interactions with them, including a duo who discuss “47 Ronin”, a man who keeps forgetting, and Marco, a man who is in search of his sister. The story actually goes as far as to present the interaction with her booze provider, in a style that seems somewhat mundane, but still manages to be quite pleasant, particularly through the permeating calmness and Mika's cheerfulness, with Keiko Aizawa being quite convincing in the part.
At one point though, a strange and quite dangerous duo appear in Reunion,, and have an intense interaction with Doc, while another man appears eventually who has some clues about her past, spiraling an adventure for her in the side of Doc in a rather dystopian setting, with the film taking a completely different direction after this point.
The main premise of the movie is quite interesting, with the bar in the middle of nowhere and the mystery of its existence, as much as Mika's background, working quite well for the duration this part lasts. The switching to a more sci-fi/action is well placed, since it appears at a moment where the repetition of the first part has become a bit tiring. At the same time, the low budget of the production becomes quite evident here, as the anime-like action is quite demanding, and the result is definitely subpar. The dystopian setting and the overall presentation of the two “dangerous” cyberpunk entities that start the whole thing compensates somewhat, but not to a point to “save” the whole of this part.
In the end, the less than 50 minutes “Reunion” would have been better if it only focused on the bar scenes, which do take, though, the majority of its duration essentially deeming it a movie that deserves a watch.
