Young indie filmmakers have it tough everywhere, but in Japan the hurdles they face are only getting higher. The so-called mini theaters (art houses) that once screened domestic indie films have been closing their doors or changing their programming to more populist fare. Meanwhile, a growing number of aspiring auteurs are submitting their films to the Pia Film Festival and other local launching pads for young directing talent. How can one stand out from this crowd?
Jumpei Matsumoto has come up with answers to this question not everyone will like. He is a 26-year-old graduate of the University of Tokyo, commonly called Todai, the local equivalent of Harvard, whose graduates are all but assured admittance into the country's elite. He has also found distribution for his first theatrical feature, "Mada, Ningen (Still Human Beings)," without submitting it to a single festival or winning a single prize. All this smacks of special privilege, doesn't it? Or perhaps he is a major talent coming out of nowhere?
His love-triangle drama, which he scripted himself, is intense in an actors' workshop way, with everyone not only acting furiously away but acting out constantly, from sudden, passionate kisses to impulsive attempts at murder.