Program Note
Madoka, a playwright working with a theater company in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, goes to the cinema one day. Meanwhile, Kazuma, who plays in a band in Sangenjaya, visits that very same movie theater. Oddly enough, the film Madoka is watching is about a band from Sangenjaya, while the film Kazuma is watching tells the story of a theater company in Shimokitazawa. As the two watch their respective movies, they suddenly find themselves seeing each other in a scene set inside the exact same cinema on screen. This feature debut from Ueda Makoto, who first drew attention for his original SF screenplays, including BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES, once again showcases his inventive imagination to full effect. Whereas his earlier works focused on time-based science fiction ideas, this film builds a unique narrative by using “space” and the medium of “cinema” itself as its central devices. With its distinctive characters, witty dialogue, and endlessly playful twists that constantly subvert audience expectations, the film delivers the pure delight of cinema’s boundless imagination. (Martin LEE)