Well, so good that I was nearly moved the tears a few times and the ending blew my mind. I came damn close to rating this 4.5/5 immediately after the ending, though 4/5 would be the more accurate overall rating.
Best viewed without knowing almost anything about the story. Below is my non-spoiling mini-review.
Abductee (Japan, 2013) [DVD] – 4/5
A middle aged man wakes up in a steel container, all alone, tied up, with no idea who has abducted him, why, and where he's being taken. This is a minimalist gem from director Yudai Yamaguchi, who normally helms trashy exploitation comedies. Despite literally taking place in one container from start to finish the 96 minute movie doesn`t let the viewer off the hook even for moment. On the contrary, it`s an incredibly intense thriller with an intriguing mystery, lively camerawork, stylish score and terrific leading performance by Yoichi Nukumizu, who is the only actor in the movie for over 90% of the time. The ending will divide audiences to those who love it and those who hate it – I was firmly in former camp. What a surprise from mediocre-at-best director Yamaguchi.
Sadly, there doesn't seem to be an English subbed DVD anywhere. I viewed the Japanese DVD. Not much talk in this one; intermediate Japanese skills should get you through one this easily.
Note: The Japanese DVD onky contains a new cut of the film, with a new extended ending. The original ending, which was used in the festival print, is actually a bit better in my opinion. The new ending is about 90 seconds longer and a bit less mysterious. The original ending (with ending credits) is included on the DVD as an extra in flawless quality. If you knew how to edit DVDs, you could easily reconstruct the original cut simply by switching the ending scene. Sadly, I don't.
