Survive Style 5+ (2004)

Director:

Gen Sekiguchi

Writer:

Taku Tada (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

A man continually trying and failing to get his wife to stay dead; a self-absorbed ad agency creative...

Plot Keywords:

Hitman | Meeting | Birdseed | Long Take | Interior Decoration

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Tadanobu Asano	...	Aman
Reika Hashimoto	...	Aman's wife
Kyôko Koizumi	...	Yoko, Commercial Executive
Hiroshi Abe	...	Aoyama, the Hypnotist
Ittoku Kishibe	...	Tatsuya Kobayashi
Yumi Asô	...	Misa, Kobayashi's wife
Kanji Tsuda	...	Tsuda - Burglar
Yoshiyuki Morishita	...	Morishita - Burglar
Jai West	...	J - Burglar
YosiYosi Arakawa	...	Killer's translator (as Yoshiyoshi Arakawa)
Vinnie Jones	...	Hired Killer
Sonny Chiba	...	Kazama - Advertising Company President (as Shinichi Chiba)
Shihori Kanjiya	...	Kaho Kobayashi
Tomokazu Miura	...	Doctor Yamauchi
Ryûnosuke Kamiki	...	Seiichi Kobayashi

Runtime:

Japan:120 min | Germany:120 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Japan:PG-12

Company:

Tohokushinsha Film

Quotes:

Tatsuya Kobayashi: Po.

Movie Connections:

References Ringu (1998)

Soundtrack:

I Will Survive

How to be surreal, satirical, and still maintain a high level of "fun" in your film

What is Survive Style 5+? One of the best films I have ever seen in my life. This film is about 5 ( or more, you decide) styles of living, depicted in a seemingly haphazard and bewildering form. The use of song, colors, cinematography will ensure most people have no excuse BUT to be captivated by every scene. Even those that simply miss out on all the symbolism and allegories for every day life will find this movie highly entertaining simply from the excellent performances and superb overall presentation.

The movie opens up with a man, who's apparently murdered his wife, burying her in the forest with a couple of meaningful comments about murder itself. That serious moment opens up a floodgate of seemingly subconscious events and comedy that is meant to jar you from the underlying essence of the movie for a moment. The film introduces other "styles of life", for example a group of bumbling burglar teens, a hit-man (Vinnie Jones) and his translator, an advertising guru who thinks every think she makes is the pinnacle of hilarity, and a family that apparently has a few issues of their own to deal with.

Each layer of bizarre is followed by another layer of bizarre, until the ending will most likely leave you with your jaw on the floor. The great thing about SS5+ is that deep within the layers of apparently non-sensical comedy and action, there is a meaning to unearth, most people will come up with their own ideas as to "what it all means" and THAT is the best aspect of SS5+, enjoy.