The absurdity of “#manhole” [Doichiro Enoki’s movie Akasatana Vol.21]

I saw "#Manhole" (23) in an online preview. Hey! Say! JUMP This is a popular work starring Yuto Nakajima, and I think it's a psychological suspense genre. This setting is already amazing. The story is about a man who, on the eve of his wedding, falls from the peak of happiness into a manhole (according to the preview). Is there such an extreme situation? In other words, the entire movie takes place inside a manhole. It is based on a closed-door drama, and is a one-man play by Yuto Nakajima. Michihisa Okada, who wrote the original idea and screenplay, and Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, who directed the film, did a great job. I couldn't decide to go with this.

The Day After Yuto Nakajima's play! Even though it is made into a ``roller coaster movie'' with the development of the story and the ingenuity of the visuals, it is made up of his acting throughout. Alone in a dark manhole. The pictures don't change much, and he alone has to express the psychological conflict and maintain the tension of the story. I think this is a fairly high hurdle. Good performance. It's not in the realm of ``a work starring an idol.''

It reminded me of a Spanish movie called `` Limit '' (10). Almost the entire story takes place inside a coffin buried in the ground. The main character finds himself in a coffin. All I have with me is my cell phone (not my own) and a lighter. ``#Manhole'' is based on a one-man show, whereas ``Limit'' is based on a conversational drama (because the actor is unable to move inside a narrow coffin). Well, both ``I suddenly noticed a manhole'' and ``I suddenly noticed a coffin'' are both absurd situations. You could call it an absurd setting.

What would the main character do in such a situation? One, of course, is to call for help. Mobile phone. Attempt to contact the outside world using your mobile phone. If this seems like a quick rescue, the story will end there. Of course it doesn't work. The protagonist panics and becomes increasingly frustrated as he seeks help.

The Day After there's one more thing to do. Try to understand the absurd situation you are in. Why, by whom, and how did the impossible situations of ``suddenly a manhole'' and ``suddenly a coffin'' come about? If you don't understand that, there's no way you can survive. Why am I facing this? What is the purpose of the person (culprit) who ensnared me?

“#Manhole” ©2023 Gaga Corporation/J Storm Inc.

Looking at the quotation on the preview letter, it uses the words ``falling from the height of happiness'' to ``the lowest point.'' Well, since I fell into a manhole, I physically hit rock bottom, but this is an analogy. All misfortunes in life come to us as ``impossible'' and ``unreasonable situations.'' To use my own experience as an example, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor in my mid-30s, when my work was going well and I had been serialized in over 10 newspapers and magazines, and the program I was responsible for on J-WAVE was receiving positive reviews. I was stunned. I ended up sitting on the stone steps of Jikei University Hospital. The whole world was running smoothly, but I was the only one who had stopped. Why am I facing this?

Fortunately, the surgery went well and I am living a healthy life. However, I have vivid memories of falling into a hole, feeling alone and sad. Back then, I kept asking "why?" in my mind. Why only me? Why this? Why now, at this critical time? why? why? In other words, the kind of misfortune that suddenly befalls us is actually not that different from ``suddenly falling into a manhole'' or ``suddenly falling into a coffin.'' All disasters are unfair to those involved. And even though we know it's absurd, people still ask questions. why? Why?

I think that unhappiness and despair serve as a "scaffolding" for us to find out where we are. I don't know if it's possible to do it accurately, but everyone calculates the origin of the world from that ``scaffold''. I try to find out how this misfortune, this despair was brought about. It is a living thing that you can't help but try to understand. That's why everyone is saying the same thing as Yuto Nakajima. Why at the bottom of the manhole? I continued to struggle.

What impressed me was the use of mobile in #Manhole. Due to the situation, the main character is as if he were being imprisoned by someone, and he makes full use of his mobile phone. First, check yourself with the video. They carefully check the footage of the bachelor party the night before the wedding to see if anyone put sleeping pills in their drinks. The answer to the question ``Why am I experiencing this?'' is visual and tangible. The main character is said to have been born in the 1990s, but it was convincing that it might be that way. To put it in the same way as I said earlier, the ``scaffolding'' was confirmed through images (rather than through words or passion).

The Day After, using SNS, I post my questions on the internet. They create a secret account and use their collective intelligence to try to identify the location of the manhole and the culprit. However, the internet can easily go out of control. The erupting flames engulf the protagonist's inner self as well. This passage was very interesting. Everyone goes into a frenzy with the slogan "Cheers to justice!" That's why the way they struggle at the bottom of a manhole is so modern.

Well, above, I have only given an outline to prevent spoilers. I think you can understand the challenging attitude of #Manhole just by looking at the outline. However, the ending was surprising. I never expected something like that to happen. I won't write it though.

Text: Ichiro Enoki

Born in 1959. Born in Akita Prefecture. Debuted in a commercial magazine with ``Takarajima'' in 1980 while studying at Chuo University. Since then, he has serialized columns and essays in various magazines, and continues to this day. Also active on radio and television. Twitter @ichiroenokido

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"#manhole"

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Distribution: Gaga

©2023 Gaga Corporation/J Storm Inc.