Films that resemble stageplays are not exactly an oddity in Japanese cinema, but still remain in the realm of the “underground” for the most part, frequently waiting for a foreign distributor/programmer to take them on, with Third Window having done a good job in the particular aspect in the past. Kyoji Kamui also presents a film in the category, with “7Ways” being a kind of one-man show, as he is also the script writer, the editor and the cinematographer, but also a rather weird one in almost all of its aspects. The movie opened in Ikebukuro Cinema Rosa this June, while it also screened in Osaka later on, in packed screenings.
“7Ways” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Writer Nao arrives on an isolated island, where she is greeted by the owner of the sole hotel in the area, known as Master. The Master introduces her to stage actor Ginji, who is staying there to prepare for his new role. Soon, two more guests arrive after being washed ashore, Naruse and Shimamura, who seem to know the owner of the hotel, which highlight that he may not be exactly the man he appears to be. A bit later on, two women arrive, Chinatsu and Ryoka, who have no way of leaving since a landslide due to a sudden storm has caused the road to be completely closed.
Meanwhile, detective Kuroneko receives a request from Nao's older sister, Kaori, to help her sister. Nao was arrested as a suspect in a murder case, and was eventually convicted, but there seems to be something wrong with the whole case. Inspector Aso and Misato, who have been asked for help for cooperation, proceed to question all seven people present about what happened on the solitary island, with their discussions essentially being intermingled with the main axis.
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Ok, first things first. At 95 minutes, the story features too many characters and too many axes, in a style that points directly towards a stage play, but ends up in a rather chaotic narrative for the movie, which becomes more and more confusing as time passes, and more time frames appear. Furthermore, the movie is obviously low budget, with the quality of the image essentially resembling straight-to-video releases, although I do have a suspicion that this could have been done on purpose to further the overall aesthetics of the movie, which do move into “trash” territory, but in a rather entertaining way.
Kyoji Kamui, however, seems to handle all this overcomplication nicely, by featuring key moments in the story that the rest of the events revolve around, while at some point, everything is explained, to a point at least, with the movie taking a whole different path in how the viewer perceives the whole thing. Furthermore, a number of characters are quite interesting to watch in their unique mannerisms and the fact that they all seem to be hiding something, while the tension and a hint that violence lurks right around the corner both carry the movie for the majority of its duration, and offer its best part when they are finally released.
This last aspect, and the manga-like approach implemented here, is also the most impressive and most entertaining element of the movie, with the suddenness and the excessiveness presented definitely being hilarious to watch.
Kamui's cinematography also finds its apogee in these scenes, with him also succeeding in presenting a particular artificiality in the depiction of the hotel that adds to the purposefully low-budget aesthetics described before. His editing ends up being messy in the way the axes intermingle, but in the end, he manages to bring the whole thing together again, in satisfying fashion.
Regarding the acting, considering the number of the characters here, it is definitely difficult to empathize with anyone. At the same time, Mitsunari Sakamoto as Ginji, due to his overall style, and Hideaki Hachiya as The Master due to the way he portrays that he is not who he seems to be, definitely stand out in terms of performances.
“7WAYS” is not a film for everyone, and the truth is that Kamui demands from his audience some knack for “trashiness” and overcomplication. However, whoever stays with it will find a number of elements to be appreciated, in a style that seems to be addressed to fans of cult films.
