THIS WORLD OF OURS (Japan, 2008)

NEW YORK PREMIERE

94 minutes, digital projection, in Japanese with English subtitles
Directed by: Ryo Nakajima
Starring: Yoshihiko Taniguchi, Arisa Hata, Satoshi Okutso, Ren Murakami

Showtimes: SAT June 28, 1.00pm at the IFC Center [Buy Tickets];
MON June 30, 6:15pm at the IFC Center [Buy Tickets].

WED July 2, 2:45pm at the IFC Center [Buy Tickets].
Note: "Buy Tickets" links will take you to the IFC Center website (for shows at IFC Center) and to Japan Society website (for shows at Japan Society). Tickets for each venue must be purchased separately

Director Ryo Nakajima started writing his debut film, THIS WORLD OF OURS, when he was a 19-year-old hikikomori (literally an anti-social individual who locks themselves in their room and won’t come out) and now, at the age of 24, he has produced one of the most startling debut films to hit screens in a long time. Charting a continuum of violence and anger with the 9/11 bombings on one end and high school bullying on the other, with gang rape, self-mutilation and school massacres in-between, this is a savage, anarchic howl of pain and alienation that feels like a new voice is finally screaming in the cathedral of stuffy film festival movies.

Shot on low-budget digital video in merciless close-up, THIS WORLD isn't just a movie - it's a manifesto, with its story following three people as they self-destruct in modern day Tokyo, taking down all innocent bystanders within their emotional blast radius. Ryo (Satoshi Okutsu) is a high school bully who falls apart when one of the victims he regarded as subhuman unexpectedly fights back. Unable to hack classwork, and targeted by a teacher who thinks that he can tough-love him back on track, Ryo realizes that there’s no way for him to have an impact on the world unless he destroys a large chunk of it. Hiroki (Yoshihiko Taniguchi) is a college student longing for his high school bad boy days, but deep down he only wants to grow up and become a part of mainstream society, with a nice, safe corporate job and somewhere to settle down. Unfortunately, his taste for taboo-shattering crosses the line from punky insolence to gang rape one drunken night and the consequences of the crime destroy his group of buddies, cracking their souls in half and leaving them burnt-out shells. Ami (Arisa Hata) is the third point of this triangle, the kind of cool, unattainable high school girl who manipulates her suitors like pawns, but gradually her shell crumbles, revealing that she’s even more messed up than the two guys, full of pain and less able to do anything about it.

Defiantly cinematic (unlike most of its low-budget debut film brethren), and assaulting its audience with a fast and furious barrage of style, THIS WORLD OF OURS plays like Stanley Kubrick’s A CLOCKWORK ORANGE told with the deft touch of Shunji Iwai, and its blazed a scorched-earth trail through film festivals around the world. It's a movie that’s able to both feel the pain of these kids, while keeping their angst at a critical distance. Facing numerous obstacles during the making of his film (including actor Taniguchi being stabbed by a crazy guy on the streets), Nakajima has emerged as one of Japan’s brightest new talents and is now assisting Miki Nakatani (the award-winning lead actress of MEMORIES OF MATSUKO) as she shoots her own first movie as a director.

Festivals/Awards
PIA Film Festival 2007: Winner, Special Jury Prize, Imagica Technical Prize, and Avex Entertainment Award.