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How entertaining? ★★★★☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆ 12 December 2013
This article is a review of R100.
Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2013. (For more information, click here.)
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“You will find the tension of not knowing when it will come deeply satisfying,” Club Owner (Suzuki Matsuo) to Takafumi Katayama (Nao Omori)
R100 is a pseudo-sci-fi sadomasochistic comedy. Yep, it could only come from the mind of writer-director-actor Hitoshi Matsumoto. You’ve seen BIG MAN JAPAN right? What, you haven’t? His 2007 debut is a typical fly-on-the-wall story, of the last in a long line of giant monster hunters, who also happens to be able to transmogrify into a skyscraper-sized human. Now Matsumoto has turned his dry and pruriently cheeky sense of jocularity to, arguably, riff on THE GAME.
Kicking off with a funny pre-film disclaimer about having respect for all god’s creatures, the mind’s alarm bells immediately blare. A filmmaker ironically protesting too much, preparing us for the opposite… zero respect for people. And to occasionally jaw-dropping effect, the hunch is proved correct. A statuesque lady admires her reflection in a toilet mirror, pulling poses for a length of time most mainstream comedies would balk at. Returning to a restaurant where Takafumi Katayama (Nao Omori – the titular role in Takashi Miike’s ICHI THE KILLER) awaits, he drones on about Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ on what appears to be a completely mismatched date. The lady stands and out of nowhere kicks him shockingly hard in the face. His espresso shatters. And then bizarrely Takafumi’s visage pulsates inhumanly and otherworldly in ecstasy. She is The Violence Queen (Ai Tominaga). Such a gasp-inducing sequence sears itself into the mind. Black-humoured brutality has just begun.
R100 is a pseudo-sci-fi sadomasochistic comedy. Yep, it could only come from the mind of writer-director-actor Hitoshi Matsumoto. You’ve seen BIG MAN JAPAN right? What, you haven’t? His 2007 debut is a typical fly-on-the-wall story, of the last in a long line of giant monster hunters, who also happens to be able to transmogrify into a skyscraper-sized human. Now Matsumoto has turned his dry and pruriently cheeky sense of jocularity to, arguably, riff on THE GAME.
Kicking off with a funny pre-film disclaimer about having respect for all god’s creatures, the mind’s alarm bells immediately blare. A filmmaker ironically protesting too much, preparing us for the opposite… zero respect for people. And to occasionally jaw-dropping effect, the hunch is proved correct. A statuesque lady admires her reflection in a toilet mirror, pulling poses for a length of time most mainstream comedies would balk at. Returning to a restaurant where Takafumi Katayama (Nao Omori – the titular role in Takashi Miike’s ICHI THE KILLER) awaits, he drones on about Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ on what appears to be a completely mismatched date. The lady stands and out of nowhere kicks him shockingly hard in the face. His espresso shatters. And then bizarrely Takafumi’s visage pulsates inhumanly and otherworldly in ecstasy. She is The Violence Queen (Ai Tominaga). Such a gasp-inducing sequence sears itself into the mind. Black-humoured brutality has just begun.
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Seven shades are suddenly beaten out of Takafumi on a regular basis. Imagine coming home to your young son, only to be set upon. Or in a restaurant. Or at work. Punishment stops short of maiming. And Katayama appears to radiate a disturbing pleasure in the aftermath. The audience are thankfully gifted a flashback explanation. The title of the film refers to an address. R100 is a Tardis sized apartment containing a mysterious S&M club. The Owner presents the sales pitch, “When pain exceeds a limit it becomes a joy.” Katayama is given a tour on an artfully lit revolving fairground carousel surrounded by alcoves occupied by various dominatrices: The Voice Queen, The Whip Queen, The Destructive Queen, The Violence Queen, The Saliva Queen and The Gobble Queen. Rules include not touching them in return, even in self-defence. Oh yeah, and, “No contract can be cancelled.” The experience lasts a year! Takafumi’s gentleness makes you wonder what’s the motivation – pure pleasure, penance, duty?
The unexpected climax, entirely in keeping with the barely predictable elements leading up to the finale, is almost (if one is being generous) a non sequitur. There may be meaning here. Good luck rooting around to find it.
How many movies have the credit “Bondage stylist/design”? R100 is an excruciating odyssey, on several levels. Imaginative yes, tasteless and bonkers too - in a good way.
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