THE STORY – A man gets lost in an underground passage. He follows the “guide” through the passage, but one after another, strange things happen to him. Is this space real? Or an illusion? Will the man be able to escape the passage?
THE CAST – Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase, Nana Komatsu
THE TEAM – Genki Kawamura (Writer/Director) & Kentaro Hirase (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 95 Minutes
Filmmaker Genki Kawamura starts “Exit 8” in the midst of a packed underground metro in Japan. Our unnamed protagonist, a commuter played by Kazunari Ninomiya, stares off into the vast darkness, avoiding giving his attention to the young mother near him being harassed by a frustrated passenger. Kawamura, who implements a POV-style lens, follows the protagonist as he leaves the station, talking to his ex-girlfriend, springing on him an ultimatum that will forever change his life. Paralyzed with fear to the point where his asthma takes over, he finds himself looking for his way out of the metro station, only to realize the tunnel he’s walking through looks familiar, like he’s been walking in circles. A man with a briefcase routinely follows the same path opposite him. Everything around him is the same, an endless labyrinth that places our Lost Man in a purgatory of some degree. For a filmmaker like Kawamura, this is only the wind-up for a thrilling outing that has more on its mind than being a generic video game adaptation.
Many may not be familiar with the game in which “Exit 8” lends leeway to the creative team, but Kawamura’s direction certainly adds a level of flair stylistically to a game that mainly finds audiences staring at the most minute details in the hope of getting to the next level. Ninomiya’s Lost Man wanders frightfully, getting ground down by the mental exasperation that comes from being put through a relentless exercise that pushes him to his limits. Ninomiya’s performance is what keeps “Exit 8” functioning, as the film itself may feel repetitive due to the nature of the source material’s gameplay. Audiences watch The Lost Man constantly trying to keep his composure as he runs through his mental checklist of constants that need to be ensured he can continue on in the hopes of possibly escaping from this new nightmare that consumes his life. Other factors appear throughout the duration of “Exit No.8,” including other characters, but their impact is minimal as Kawamura relies on his lead performer to keep everything grounded.
Maybe the most surprising aspect is how Kawamura and Kentaro Hirase’s screenplay uses the framework of “Exit 8” gameplay as the stepping stones for an earnest reflection on the fears of fatherhood, change, and the ramifications of the choices we make. The actual video game “Exit 8” is based on is quite short (if a player doesn’t make too many errors) and dialogue-free. This leads to the film’s script finding its identity narratively, which makes for a more inspired adaptation. Kawamura also never drags the film beyond its means, which is smart due to the monotony of the storyline itself, despite him swapping perspectives occasionally to keep it from getting stale way too quickly. The way Keisuke Imamura’s cinematography is implemented surely is one of the reasons why many audiences who give this film a chance will be enthralled as soon as Kawamura jolts audiences by snapping away from the prolonged pov opening sequence. Imamura’s free-flowing camerawork perfectly matches Kawamura’s verve as a director. The ability they both have to keep this film feeling incredibly light with a sense of space, yet so claustrophobic, speaks volumes about what they do here.
Kenta Tsutsumi’s production design is also another reason why “Exit 8” is as immersive a thriller as it is. Not only does it look like an accurate recreation of the level design from the game, but those porcelain white walls that trap our victims never seem to be any less haunting. The lighting bounces off of it perfectly to a point where its brightness sears itself into the protagonist’s brain. Time becomes an illusion the longer they waste away under there. There are also some fun moments where Tsutsumi gets to let loose, altering the set whether it’s pouring blood, flooding water, etc. With some of the sequences Kawamura wants to create, the way Tsutsumi and Imamura’s work perfectly sells the endlessness of it all, only fueling the incessant nature of this unspeakable prison.
It’s nice to see “Exit 8” not opt to be a video game adaptation that is so burdened to create a lore or expand upon what little is there. Maybe that’s just the problem with Western filmmaking in terms of creating a film mainly to try to rake in the big dollars (just look at one of the highest-grossing films of this year). Kawamura first and foremost creates an emotionally charged film that just so happens to be a pretty good video game adaptation.
