2LDK (2003)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Yukihiko Tsutsumi

Writer:

Yukihiko Tsutsumi (writer)

Release Date:

4 October 2003 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Two actresses who have auditioned for one part, sharing the same apartment with opposite personalities equals a night which either neither of them will forget - if they survive!

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Tokyo | Gas | Cell Phone | Fire Extinguisher

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Eiko Koike	...	Nozomi
Maho Nonami	...	Rana
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Daisuke Kizaki

Runtime:

Japan:70 min | UK:66 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Canada:18A | UK:18 | Germany:18 | South Korea:18

Company:

DUEL Film Partners

Trivia:

Yukihiko Tsutsumi and Ryûhei Kitamura each finished their contributions to the short film anthology Jam Films (2002) in record time. As a result producer Shinya Kawai gave the two directors a proposal to each create a feature length movie with only two actors, battling in one setting and filmed entirely in one week. The undertaking was called the Duel Project. This movie was Yukihiko Tsutsumi's result and Ryuhei Kitamura's was Aragami (2003).

Quotes:

[Lana and Nazomi have knives in each others throats]
Lana: That feels nice.
Nozomi: We'll regret this.
Lana: What a relief.... Good luck.
Nozomi: ...You too.
[both pull their knives out]

2LDK--A subject review

2LDK is an exceptional short film that combines the prodigious talents of two little-known actresses (Maho Nonami and Eiko Koike) with that of a marvelous director (Yukihiko Tsutsumi) in what turns out to be a surprisingly powerful, sometimes hilarious, and always provocative thriller.

I found the first half of the film, in which there is a lot of one-on-one conversation between the two women--combined fluidly with each woman's private thoughts--to be an absolute riot to watch. 2LDK offers marvelous insight into human nature and even the Japanese culture, reminding one that regardless of social conventions few people say what they -really- mean. Nonami and Koike both play their parts extremely well and with complete credibility. Amazingly, the film was shot in only a week's time despite the fact both women developed high fevers during the filming but carried on during the most physically demanding scenes without a break. I also found it fascinating to hear both actresses express having felt a certain amount of real-life animosity and antagonism towards one another during the making of the film. Great stuff.

In the second half of the film things become much darker as niceties are set aside and the two women let their true feelings show. Small disagreements become egregious offenses and events escalate rapidly to a remarkable, if not entirely unpredictable, ending. The 'weapons' the two use against each other are for the most part household items and as such make the battle even more engaging and intense.

I don't believe there is anyone who can't appreciate--or even completely relate with--the feelings both expressed and provoked in 2LDK; if you've ever had to live with someone you didn't much care for but tolerated in the name of keeping the peace--all the while letting your retributive fantasies 'evolve' from time to time--this film is guaranteed to produce plenty of smiles.

Highly recommended.