The Duel Project

The films come in their original aspect ratio, with optional subtitles and an array of audio options. The latter are especially welcome for Aragami, whose soundtrack is a rich mix of chilling silences and ear-splitting noise.

Aragami, however, comes with no further extras, even though the story of its production must have been no less fascinating than that for 2LDK. If you are wondering how it is possible to shoot such elaborate action set-pieces on so tight a schedule, this edition will leave you none the wiser.

By way of compensation, 2LDK comes with several extras. An 18-minute behind-the-scenes featurette documents the hectic eight-day production with wacky Japanese humour aplenty, and illustrates how the marathon shoots, often lasting 24 hours, contributed to the two leads' stressed-out performances. They were literally exhausted, and both had to keep acting through high fevers contracted during the filming. "That's why my eyes had the crazy look", comments Eiko Koike (Nozomi). Director Tsutsumi concludes: "Mine is a cynical story with some funny moments."

There is also a 25-minute featurette documenting stage appearances by Tsutsumi and his two actresses (as well as a brief showing by Ryuhei Kitamura and supervising producer Shinya Kawai) for various press launches, festival screenings and premières of the film. While there is some repetition, with Maho Nonami and Eiko Koike's fever featuring more than once, we also hear about the genesis of the Duel Project (originally Tsutsumi's idea) in a pub in Köln, while Nonami admits to the "evil side in all girls", and Koike confesses, "I liked the slapping", before suggesting: "ladies might find themselves identifying with the characters, gentlemen might think, 'Boy, women are scary.'"

Still, even if 2LDK portrays two women beyond the verge of a nervous breakdown, it was the male director who "wanted to push them to the edge and see what happens." Sexual politics are always murkier than they first appear.