This is how I found Exit 8 on my list. And it's an especially eclectic entry. It's a Japanese movie. (So right there, I'd say the odds are I heard about it on a film podcast.) It's based on a video game. (Which I'd never heard of; but with countless games available for instant download across dozens of platforms, that's no great surprise.) But it had an intriguing premise I felt I just had to see.
A young man gets off the subway and soon finds himself lost and alone in an underground tunnel. It actually appears to be the same underground tunnel, as he keeps walking and taking the same turns only to find himself passing the same features. Then he notices a sign outlining simple rules: he begins at "Exit 0" and can only leave through "Exit 8." To reach it, he must be observant. If he arrives in a corridor and finds any "anomalies," he must turn around and walk the other direction. If there are none, he must continue ahead. The man feels hope as he soon finds his way to "Exit 1".... and that hope is dashed not long after when he finds himself back at "Exit 0." Can he make the right choices enough times in a row to escape?
When I re-read the short description of the movie, I remembered why I'd put it on the list (if not when). It seemed like a ripe premise for a psychological horror film. And I kind of had to know if the filmmakers could possibly sustain the idea. How does what I just described last for a whole movie -- even one that's only 95 minutes long?
Director Genki Kawamura, working with a script by him and Kentaro Hirase, does actually manage to pull it off. I'd really rather not spoil any surprises, but suffice it say that I never felt the movie reached a point of stagnation. Before I would ever begin to wonder "this isn't really all the movie is going to be, is it?", it would expand the story. Through a clever combination of "twists," character motivations, and effectively creepy imagery, the movie kept me with it the entire way.
It has a couple of other elements helping it along. One is some very smart camera work. There's a lot of very horror-savvy placement of the camera. And while the movie doesn't try to present itself as a single take for the entire duration, there are plenty of great tricks to hide edits. Sure, there also a few obviously CG-assisted moments with ambition too great for the movie's budget, but I don't feel they really detract from the whole.
Another key asset is the movie's main star, Kazunari Ninomiya, who gives a good performance as The Lost Man. There is a very limited cast in this movie, and Ninomiya really has to do some heavy lifting. Working without a scene partner. Believably talking to yourself. Two of the tougher challenges in acting, and he handles them both.
My one reservation -- I'm not quite sure the movie sticks the landing. As I say that, I must also acknowledge that this is just one of those story premises that probably can't have a satisfying ending. The idea is more compelling than the resolution. Seeing whether they can keep the ride going is more exciting than the ride coming to an end. Exit 8 doesn't have a "bad" ending, but if you're going to watch it because you're intrigued by anything I've described here, please don't watch it to see how it ends.
I'd give Exit 8 a B+. Perhaps the real enthusiasts -- of either horror movies or foreign films -- are already aware of it. But for most of you, perhaps I'm putting something on your radar you've never heard of.
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