Survive Style 5+ was a movie I picked for my Blindspot movies last year as I read a glowing review from a fellow blogger. Going in I had no idea what I could expect, but with a title like that and the fact that it is a Japanese movie I was prepared for it to be something strange. Which it certainly was!
The 5 in the title references the five stories this movie tells, which slowly are weaved together. There is one about a man who murders his wife, buries her and when returning home sees her again (which happens several times). Another is about a woman who has these bizarre ideas for commercials based on the things she sees around her. There is a part which is completely about hypnosis and a family who want to attend a show by a hypnotist, which has some unexpected consequences. Three burglars who have a very strange relationship is another storyline and the final one is with Vinnie Jones (together with his translator) who is constantly yelling to everyone he sees, asking them what their purpose in life is.
So it offers a rich tapestry of situations, which all have a bizarre twist. This means that when watching this you have to be open to something which isn’t your average film, because not only what happens stands out, the sets themselves are worth mentioning too. They are colorful with lots of fantasy. The bedroom of one of the characters has been designed to look like a forest and you are constantly treated to bright colors and lots of lights. I really was able to appreciate this and the ending nicely brought everything together. Survive Style 5+ is strange, but worth giving a shot.
Holy Mackrel – this is one of my favourite films! I appreciate it’s no perfect (and understand a ‘7’ score) but I just love how there’s nothing else even remotely like this. It’s so bright, vibrant, offbeat, and fun to watch – although the final act does drag a bit.
Great to see that this is still doing the rounds!!!
It’s probably on your blog that I read about this one and decided to put it on my blindspot list 🙂