Exit 8
On a Japanese underground train, a young man (Kazunari Ninomiya) notices another passenger shouting at a mother with a crying infant, but chooses not to intervene. After getting off at his stop, he receives a phone call from his ex-girlfriend, who tells him she is pregnant. The line cuts off, and in his absentminded state, it takes The Lost Man (as text on screen refers to him) some time to realise that the station has transformed into a maze.
The Exit 8 is an adaptation of a walking simulation game in which the player must find their way out of a Tokyo metro station. In its opening scene, the film plays with the first-person perspective familiar from video games, revealing only a glimpse of the protagonist’s face in the window’s reflection. It also makes clever use of the character’s AirPods – contrasting the isolation of noise cancellation with the sudden presence of ambient sound when an earpiece is removed. The film then shifts into more traditional cinematography as it begins its journey to find a way out.
The feature does its best to keep the loop the character navigates engaging, but the truth is that the quest to reach Level 8 inevitably becomes repetitive, with progress reset each time he makes a mistake. This, however, ultimately serves to reinforce the sensation of entrapment, leaving the viewer at the mercy of The Lost Man’s judgment.
Fans of The Exit 8, and of video games more broadly, should have a field day with this film. Not only is it a successful adaptation of a playable concept, but it also introduces new narrative elements that allow it to stand on its own. Filmmaker Genki Kawamura infuses the game’s simple mechanic – choosing which direction to walk in – with deeper meaning, as the character must decide which path his life should take. Premiering in Cannes’s Midnight Screenings section, The Exit 8 offers a playful variation on the festival’s typically arthouse-leaning line-up.
Selina Sondermann
Exit 8 does not have a release date yet.
Read more reviews from our Cannes Film Festival coverage here.
For further information about the event visit the Cannes Film Festival website here.
Watch the trailer for Exit 8 here:
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