2LDK

Don't pay attention to this being billed as horror on here, it's what in the 60s would have been understood as Japanese New Wave, scathing assault on this world rather than dread of some beyond. It's compact, clocking at barely an hour, with bite to spare.

Two roommate actresses aspiring for the same role in a film and living in the same house grow increasingly unhinged over the course of one night, you can imagine this as a continuation of what Koji Wakamatsu used to do in b/w once upon a time, Tsukamoto later.

At first polite enough, propping the social facade it aims to perversely tear down, but gradually the girls turn suspicious and catty, hang up on dreams of success society has promised, a society steeped in consumerism and image; we see one girl's room lined with trophies and photos from beauty pageants, the other fusses about her collagen drink and she's a 20 year old girl.

All the accoutrements that society has said if we surround ourselves with will amount to a comfortable life here are hurled at each other, used as weapons to degrade and inflict pain with, from a ketchup bottle to a hairdryer. Modern life may be glanced in a bleak way, with a certain amusement at its failure to soothe, but I would rather rest with the underlying point that can be glimpsed here; that the flames of dissatisfaction singe from the inside, it's the constant desire, vexation, reaction to things not being what we wanted them to be. In this state of mind, even much coveted romance is denied by a girl more keen to consume her being with the meaningless spat.

So this is about the spirited meaninglessness of itself, about so much energy, dynamism and spontaneous creativity the two girls are able to muster to hurt each other, two actresses trying to outperform each other, funneled into performance that is hollow except with rage, with no more a struggle with ideals to absorb the rage as in the 60s. No Wave in place of New.

In the end even a moment of sweet intimacy, one girl yearning to be kissed for the first time, is reduced to only another performance trick in their play. Earlier a piano that one of the girls could be play beautifully had been petulantly bashed by her.

In essence this is a very simplistic and minimalistic movie. It's entirely set inside one apartment and only 2 actresses can be seen on screen. Also the story in its core is very simple and straight-forward but very well- and effectively executed.

The story plays out wonderfully. It's about two young aspiring actresses, who share an apartment and are both in the race for the same role. They clearly don't like each other very much to begin with but they are friendly to each other, since they realize they have to simply put up with each other and make the best of it. They are often tiny annoyances between the two, which should be very recognizable for those who once shared an apartment with another person. However things soon start to escalate more and more between the two.

Because of the extremeness and over-the-top aspects of the movie and its story, you could also really take this movie a comedy. Not that it will make you laugh out loud but the way it's build up and plays out really reminds you of the structure of a comedy. It makes this a very entertaining and pleasant movie to watch.

It's besides well shot by Yukihiko Tsutsumi. You have to remember that the entire movie is set in just one apartment but yet the director manages to never make any of the scene's look alike and the movie also never starts to repeat itself. Granted, that this is also partly due to its very short running time (70 minutes).

A great, short, enjoyable movie to spend some time on.

8/10

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My mouth dropping constantly throughout the movie in shock until finally I just left it hang open. Very creative and original. Unfortunately some others walked out!?

I was curious what 2LDK meant after the film: in general it is a 2 bedroom apartment with living room, dining room and kitchen in Japan. The setting of the whole film.

I caught this at a double bill showing with another film, and truthfully watching this film is amongst the best joys I've had for a long while. Film centres round two ambitious girls one night in their shared flat who are aiming for the same sole role in a film. The girls are like chalk and cheese together, yet they appear to grudgingly tolerate each other at first, although each dislikes the other intensely and try to tease and annoy the other subtly. But as the tension gets cranked and the stress levels rise, the Chinese wall between them comes down and the rivalry becomes physical.

The action comes thick and fast in this not overly long film, but the acting is wonderful from the two girls, and the dialogue is sharp. Frighteningly, it is as real as life itself and will remind many (including myself!) of what it is truly like living with others (its not like "Friends"). This film is like a proverbial brick being thrown at your head, but it is fun, like a "Tom and Jerry" movie with humans in many ways.

Compared to many films coming from the Asian extreme range, this is a little dilute in comparison, so if you are curious about them, yet don't think you can stomach the stronger themed films, then this is a great entry point. Wicked fun, yet violent at times, but you will certainly be entertained. A cool night out! No classic, but very worthy of attention, and I will definitely be looking out for the directors future work as it comes out.

For some reason I was led to believe this was to be a comedy. Upon further research after seeing the movie, I could not find any evidence that it is a comedy, but I'm sure I got that idea from somewhere. Maybe it's considered a dark comedy, considering I don't usually find them funny, but not necessarily bad. Another though was maybe I just did not get the Japanese comedy. I honestly thought this was a drama with a tiny bit of horror on the side.

Anyhow, 2LDK starts off with sort of a slow burn effect, meaning it took some time to establish a feud between the two actresses, who happen to be roommates for the night and both going for the same part in a movie called Yakuza Wives. Every little thing annoys the other, such as slurping their soup and borrowing shampoo without asking, which continuously gains intensity through every scene.

When the "fight to the death" finally happens, it is extremely outrageous and over the top. Everything is used from chainsaws, ice picks, toilet bowl parts, bathtubs along with electric appliances, etc. The end could be considered somewhat comedic, although predictable. Not many movies aren't predictable anymore.

The movie was not bad. In fact, I'd recommend it if you have nothing to do. Plus, I liked how the entire movie only had the two women in it. As stated earlier, I just misunderstood what I was about to see. After reading up on it and realized the "contest" between the two directors, it has stirred my curiosity to see the other movie,which I believe is called Aragami. Very interesting. 6/10