The Sun

This hopeless Japanese attempt to create a film franchise modelled on The Hunger Games is engaging primarily because it is non-conceptual and unreasonably ambitious. With The Sun, soap-opera-like degeneration of Japanese audio-visual art reached a stage of total affectation and hysterical non-acting. Paradoxically, however, the filmmakers decided that they would formally approach the television ridiculousness of hopeless young actors as a deep and serious drama. Therefore, a number of tense scenes are filmed in long shots in a large unit with tracking. However, instead of the desired intensity of Children of Men or The Revenant, such acting and stylistic futility radiates from the screen, at best giving an impression of being ridiculous and, at worst, utterly stupid and offensive. As the icing on the cow patty, The Sun offers up a repulsively detailed plot motif that reinforces Japanese rape culture. (26/11/2016)