Once again, the Japan Foundation of Kuala Lumpur joins forces with Golden Screen Cinemas to bring the best of Japanese movie culture to Malaysian shores.
JFF2023 will feature a variety of titles, from light-hearted comedies such as “Mondays: See You ‘This’ Week!” to heart-wrenching dramas like “The Zen Diary”.
This year, the festival will kick off in the Klang Valley from Sept 7-13, then Johor Bahru (Sept 14-17), before moving onto Penang (Sept 21-24).
East Malaysians, too, have not been forgotten, as JFF2023 will subsequently arrive in Kuching (Oct 5-8), before ending its run in Kota Kinabalu (Oct 6-9).
Klang Valley residents can expect to watch the films in three cinemas, namely GSC Mid Valley, GSC 1 Utama and GSC Nu Sentral.
And the best part is, tickets are priced at an affordable RM10, with festival goers entitled to stamps that can be used to redeem exclusive goodies and prizes!
For anime fans, there will also be a “Detective Conan” movie marathon, highlighting the best of the young genius investigator, at GSC Nu Sentral on Sept 9. And guess what? Admission is free!
FMT Lifestyle was recently invited to preview one of the 16 films in the festival, a suspense thriller with the curious title “#Manhole”. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Kumakiri Kazuyoshi, it tells the story of a man caught in an unexpected predicament.
Shunsuke Kawamura (played by Yuto Nakajima), will soon be getting married, and what better way to celebrate his impending nuptials than with a round of drinks!
Alas, he stumbles out of the bar drunk – only to wake up several metres beneath the ground. It appears the man has fallen into an uncovered manhole and, with the ladder broken, there’s no way back up!
What’s more, Shunsuke has sustained serious injuries to his right leg, which makes getting back topside a Sisyphean task.
With no idea of where he is and how he is to escape, the dude must depend on his only tool of survival – his smartphone – to get himself out of there.
“#Manhole” may appear to have a very simple plot, but if you are expecting a survival film like “127 Hours” or “The Martian”, you’re in for a surprise.
The movie subverts expectations with plot twists that shift what appears to be a “get me out of here” situation to a whodunnit, when it becomes obvious Shunsuke didn’t just stumble into the hole.
Further twists and turns follow, leaving audiences in total suspense – and, without spoiling too much, let’s just say our protagonist is hiding something that will change just how you view him as a character.
Given that “#Manhole” barely features any other onscreen characters, credit has to go to actor Nakajima for carrying much of the film on his shoulders.
His performance throughout the 101-minute runtime is convincing, the physical pain of his fall and the growing terror of his possible demise well expressed, so much so that you are bound to instinctively sympathise with him over his unfortunate circumstance.
However, as the web of lies begins to unravel, Nakajima depicts his character’s transformation, from sympathetic to ambiguous to sinister, to great effect.
By the end, perhaps the takeaway for the audience is less “watch where you step”, and more “beware the viper in one’s bosom”.
For listings, click here. For GSC showtimes and other details, click here.