My favorite new release in 2023 was Junta Yamaguchi. Rivera sweet, simple, and touching time-loop comedy that’s all about recognizing and appreciating the moment we’re in at any given moment. At the risk of feeling like I’m in some kind of time rift myself, it seems one of my favorite releases of 2024 is… another brilliantly crafted time-loop tale from Japan? Shinji Araki‘s Penalty circuit It’s a thrilling, surprising and very funny mix of genres with a real heart at its core.
It’s a typical morning, like that of Jun (Ryūya Wakaba) gives his girlfriend a kiss before she heads out the door to work. However, the serenity is shattered when she is found dead in a river hours later, the victim of an apparent murder, and the killer is arrested nearby. Life goes on and we see Jun at work, but what seems to be a normal day takes a turn when he kills a co-worker named Mizoguchi (Yusuke Iseya), dumps the body in a nearby lake and heads home. He’s understandably confused when he wakes up the next morning, kisses his girlfriend goodbye, finds out she’s been murdered, and goes back to killing his coworker. And then he has to do it again. And again. He’s stuck in a time loop and he knows it, but it turns out Mizoguchi knows he’s in a time loop, too.
Penalty circuit This is an absolute, utter joy of a film. Araki juggles genres from the likes of Steve Martin’s 1995-2005 filmography, moving between emotion, drama, comedy, and various genre conventions to deliver something truly special. The scenes get increasingly absurd as Mizoguchi’s awareness increases, but the suspense and wonder are maintained throughout the film, even as everything morphs into something more emotional and unexpectedly human. Grief is a real bitch, and watching Jun essentially go through the stages of it with creative bloodshed is walking the fine line between entertaining and moving.
The big risk with time-loop movies is that the repetition starts to feel, well, repetitive. Watching the same moments over and over quickly becomes boring, but Araki deftly sidesteps that concern by skipping over the mundane moments and letting the rest evolve. Jun has to shift his focus as his target becomes suspicious, and then things shift even further when it becomes clear that something else, something bigger, is at play here. Each new twist and revelation elicits a smile, a laugh, and an appreciation for Christopher Nolan-worthy craziness on a shoestring budget.
Araki’s direction and script are the driving force here, but Penalty circuit‘s two lead performances keep the pace and hold our attention with equal force. Wakaba shows us a man broken and lost in grief, while Iseya plays his character’s confusion turned into reality with grounded empathy. The more we learn about these two, about their connection and why this is happening, the more we are forced to think about what it means to lose someone and what it takes to move on after they’re gone. The film doesn’t aim for anything truly deep or profound on the subject, but it doesn’t need to as the ideas it plays with remain suggestive and real.
Fair warning, there are several reviews out there about Penalty circuit That ruins exactly what’s going on here, and that’s just unfortunate. While Araki’s film still works beautifully on repeat viewings, there’s an undeniable thrill in putting the pieces together and uncovering the revelations in real time, so read closely! You won’t find any of that nonsense here, but I will say that the revelations in the back half find their own originality from some very familiar parts. It’s important to remember, though, that the tools — the “how” of it all — are often far less important than the “why” and the “what comes next.”
by the time Penalty circuit As the film moves into its third act, the odds that it’s not going where you expect are pretty high. That’s a good thing, and the whiplash you’ll experience as it goes from grim and thrilling to hilarious and meditative will leave you feeling more than satisfied with a fun ride; you’ll also feel a little more hopeful about the people we let in during our time on this rock called Earth. It’s a small thing, perhaps, but life is what we make of it, and that’s a truth we should never forget.
IThe 28th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival It will take place from July 18 to August 4 in the beautiful city of Montreal, Quebec. Follow our coverage here.