Archive of films Why Don't You Play in Hell / Jigoku de naze warui

Japan
2013, 119 min

Section: Midnight Screenings
Year: 2014

A new take on traditional yakuza films, a slapstick comedy, a homage to 35 mm film, a cinephile’s sly wink, and an overflowing bloodbath. For some a ridiculous absurdity, for others an ingenious cinematic masterpiece – in simple terms: the ultimate Japanese roller coaster ride, directed by the independent-minded Sion Sono.

Synopsis

A new take on traditional yakuza films, a slapstick comedy, a homage to 35 mm film, a cinephile’s sly wink, and an overflowing bloodbath – simply put, the ultimate Japanese roller coaster ride, directed by the independent-minded Sion Sono. This stylistically extroverted mix of genres pulls us into the middle of a feud between two rival yakuza clans. It has been several years since boss Muto managed to get his daughter Mitsuko into the movie industry. The pretty young girl has become a comely young woman, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by Muto’s archrival Ikegami. The situation grows more complicated, and the final bloody battle draws near. But who is setting the rules and who is planning it all? In the end, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to direct the showdown drops into the lap of the hyperactive amateur filmmaker Hirata and his pals. A joyously savage fest is upon us, full of humor, conscious overacting and rivers of fake blood… Whether you find Why Don’t You Play in Hell an ingenious cinematic masterpiece, or a strange piece of absurdity, you’re sure to enjoy the ride.

About the director

Sion Sono (b. 1961, Toyokawa) began publishing experimental poetry at age 17, and shot his first 8 mm films while studying at Tokyo’s prestigious Hosei University. Since his feature film debut Bicycle Sighs (Jitensha Toiki, 1990), he has created a new film almost every year. Over time, he has earned a reputation as one of the least conformist contemporary Japanese filmmakers, as a result of which his films are popular among festival programmers in Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Toronto, among others. Karlovy Vary audiences have had the opportunity to see Noriko’s Dinner Table (Noriko no Shokutaku, 2005, Special Jury Mention), Love Exposure (Ai no mukidashi, 2008) and Guilty of Romance (Koi no Tsumi, 2011). On Why Don’t You Play in Hell, which he wrote 17 years ago, he says: "Although the story hasn’t changed much since then, the world faced a switching point to digital. So this is my very own ‘Requiem to 35 mm Film’.”

Contacts

Elle Driver
44, Rue Blanche, 750 09, Paris
France
Tel: +33 156 434 870
Fax: +33 145 614 608
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.elledriver.fr

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About the film

Color, DCP

Section:	Midnight Screenings

Director:	Sion Sono
Screenplay:	Sion Sono
Dir. of Photography:	Hideo Yamamoto
Music:	Keiji Inai
Editor:	Junichi Ito
Producer:	Takeshi Suzuki, Takuyuki Matsuno
Production:	Bitters End
Coproduction:	T-JOY, King Record, GANSIS
Cast:	Jun Kunimura, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Hiroki Hasegawa, Gen Hoshino, Fumi Nikaido
Contact:	Elle Driver