Special Actors (Fantasia Fest)
**Seen for the 2020 Fantasia International Film Festival.
There’s a couple of twists in this comedy that had me all smiles as the closing credits song played. The first was the fact that it’s about 25 minutes in to this film before we get the opening title sequence. That’s an abnormally long time, but, given the premise this film is laying out, it makes a lot of sense. The second is not until the end; you’re going to have to watch the film for yourself if you want that one.
Writer-director Shin’ichirô Ueda has crafted a film that has several central ideas flying around at once, and it’s only until that ending that the truth about all three are revealed. The first one begins with our lead character, Kazuto. We see him on an acting audition in the first scene, and it’s obvious that he’s struggling getting the necessary energy the director wants. When the director gets in his face, Kazuto passes out. He has a unique condition where, if he gets stressed or nervous, he passes out; his doctor is not really able to help him. One day, he happens to see his brother on the streets; they have not seen one another since their mother died. He’s an actor, as well, but he’s not really working in film of television. He works for an agency that stages situations for their clients, whether it’s something as simple as a fight on the street so the guy appears tough or as complicated as trying to save someone’s inn from becoming the home base for a cult. Kazuto is apprehensive at first, but he eventually finds his way in the agency.
When the film was being discussed on the Fantasia Fest discord channel, someone made a rather spot-on comparison to another film that, by the time the film ends, makes a ridiculous amount of sense, and the fact that you don’t necessarily think about it is a tribute to Ueda’s talents as a writer-director here, even though- after the fact- you see it clear as day. I’m not going to reveal the film, but you may already have one in mind just by the plot description above. This is a very fun comedic premise that comes at ideas like building self-confidence, trying to uncover a cult, and just some crazy spy/superhero movie tropes in an entertaining, and heartfelt, manner. You might just find the film mildly amusing for most of it, but hold out for that ending- it’ll hit you where you live, and leave you with a smile on your face.
