Eye For Film >> Movies >> Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes (2021) Blu-Ray Review
Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes
Reviewed by: Jennie Kermode
Read Jennie Kermode's film review of Beyond The Infinite Two MinutesA lot can happen in two minutes, and if you've watched this film for all its 110, the chances are that you've struggled to catch every detail. This Blu-ray release (it's coming out on DVD at the same time) lets you watch it over and over again, tease out its secrets and properly appreciate the work that went into it. With that in mind, the Making Of documentary included here is a must-see, taking you behind the scenes to reveal the way the team approached rehearsals and the hectic shoot. It won't surprise you to learn that they're a theatre group, used to having to memorise precise pieces of dialogue and physical positioning so that they can reproduce them over and over again. Still, it takes many attempts to get it right, and actors roll about in anguish on the floor after messing up tiny details which mean that everybody has to go back to the beginning. Fortunately there is a lot of humour on set to carry them through.
Full of detail and insight, this is not just entertaining viewing but a great guide for other filmmakers. It's also a tribute to those who worked hard both in front of and behind the camera, and to those who supported them, such as the people running the café where most of the film was shot, who also provided them with delicious-looking food. Further insights are provided in an interview with director Junta Yamaguchi.
Also present in this package is Howling, the 2014 short which writer Makoto Ueda used as proof of concept, exploring the film's central idea. It's fascinating to see what has changed between the two, and compact as it is, this short is also great fun to watch for its own sake.
Reviewed on: 15 Nov 2021