‘Penalty Loop’ Is Another Unforgettable Time Loop Gem From Japan

My favourite new launch in 2023 was Junta Yamaguchi’s River, a candy, easy, and affecting time loop comedy about recognizing and valuing the second we’re in at any given time. At the chance of feeling like I’m in some sort of temporal rift myself, it appears to be like like considered one of my favourite new releases of 2024 is… one other brilliantly crafted time loop story from Japan? Shinji Araki‘s Penalty Loop is a thrilling, surprising, and very funny genre blender with real heart beating at its center.

It’s a typical morning as Jun (Ryûya Wakaba) provides his girlfriend a kiss earlier than she heads out the door to work. The serenity is shattered, although, when she’s discovered lifeless in a river hours later, the sufferer of an obvious homicide, and the killer is arrested close by. Life goes on, and we watch Jun at work, however what appears to be like to be a traditional day takes a flip when he kills a coworker named Mizoguchi (Yûsuke Iseya), dumps the physique in a close-by lake, and heads dwelling. He’s understandably confused when he wakes the subsequent morning, kisses his girlfriend goodbye, discovers she’s been murdered, and as soon as once more kills his coworker. And then he has to do it once more. And once more. He’s caught in a loop, and he is aware of it, but it surely seems Mizoguchi is aware of he’s in a time loop too.

Penalty Loop is an absolute and utter pleasure of a movie. Araki juggles genres like Steve Martin’s 1995-2005 filmography, shifting between thrills, drama, comedy, and varied style conventions to ship one thing actually particular. Set items develop more and more absurd as Mizoguchi’s consciousness grows, however suspense and marvel are maintained all through even because it all shifts into one thing extra emotional and unexpectedly human. Grief is an actual bitch, and watching Jun primarily work by way of the levels of it with inventive bloodshed walks the tremendous line between entertaining and affecting.

The large danger with time loop motion pictures is that the repetitiveness will start to really feel, effectively, repetitive. Seeing the identical beats many times shortly grows tiresome, however Araki deftly sidesteps that concern by skipping previous the mundane moments and letting the remaining evolve. Jun has to alter up his strategy as his goal turns into suspicious, after which issues shift much more because it turns into obvious that one thing else — one thing larger — is at play right here. Each new flip and reveal brings a smile, fun, and an appreciation for Christopher Nolan-worthy mindfuckery on a price range.

Araki’s path and script are the motor right here, however Penalty Loop‘s two lead performances keep things humming and hold our attention every bit as strongly. Wakaba gives us a broken man lost in sorrow, while Iseya plays his character’s confusion turned realization with a grounded empathy. The extra we study these two, about their connection and why that is occurring, the extra we’re pressured to consider what it means to lose somebody and what’s essential to maneuver ahead after they’re gone. The movie isn’t aiming for something actually profound or deep on the topic, but it surely doesn’t have to because the concepts it’s taking part in with are nonetheless thought-provoking and actual.

Fair warning, there are a number of opinions on the market for Penalty Loop that spoil what precisely is going on right here, and that’s simply unlucky. While Araki’s movie nonetheless works superbly on repeat viewings, there’s an simple thrill to placing the items collectively and discovering the reveals in actual time, so learn fastidiously on the market! You’ll get none of that bullshit right here, however I’ll say that the reveals within the again half discover their very own originality from some very acquainted components. It’s necessary to recollect, although, that the instruments — the “how” of all of it — are sometimes far much less necessary than the “why” and the “what comes next.”

By the time Penalty Loop speeds into its third act, the chances are fairly good that it gained’t be heading the place you’re anticipating. That’s factor, and the whiplash you’ll expertise shifting from somber and thrilling to hilarious and meditative will depart you feeling extra than simply glad with a enjoyable journey — you’ll additionally really feel a little bit extra hopeful in regards to the individuals we let in throughout our time on this rock referred to as Earth. It’s a small factor, maybe, however life is what we make it, and that’s a fact we must always always remember.

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Related Topics: Fantasia Film Festival, Sci-Fi

Rob Hunter has been writing for Film School Rejects since earlier than you have been born, which is bizarre seeing as he is so rattling younger. He’s our Chief Film Critic and Associate Editor and lists ‘Broadcast News’ as his favourite movie of all time. Feel free to say hello if you happen to see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.