Moving on to less controversial topics…
A co-worker lent me a somewhat obscure live-action Japanese movie that he had borrowed from our university’s language lab, and I finally got a chance to watch it Sunday. Battle Royale (2000) by director Kini Fukasaku is an extremely dark, unsettling film with a laughable premise, but a serious, brutally violent tone throughout. I highly recommend it if you can find it (maybe via P2P client).
In a corrupt, imploding dystopian Japan, adults choose to quell student rebellion by making an example of one class of high school students each year. They ship these students off to a deserted island, fit them with electronic explosive dog collars, give each one a duffel bag with random bladed and projectile weapons, then set them loose. Only one student will be allowed off of the island, the required death of all of the rest of their classmates is the only caveat. If more than one student remains after three days, all of the collars explode.
The movie has its flaws (limited characterization, repetitive at times), and the excessively brutal violence is sickening and tragic, but it ends up being a surprisingly moving and provocative tale of desperate survival, friendship, betrayal, cruelty, and resistance.
Hmmm, I’m thinking this might be a tad bit too dark for me. I don’t like to admit it, but I’m a bit of a girly girl.
:-)
I am normally not one who flinches or looks away from a movie, but at certain points throughout this one, I couldn’t help myself.