NOISE

ノイズ

Directed by: Yusaku Matsumoto
2018 / 115 minutes / Unclassified 15+ (under 15s must be accompanied by an adult)

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Akihabara’s dark side shown in a new light

Akihabara is a playground for anime, gaming and idol subcultures, but also home to a shady underbelly riddled with exploitation and isolation. Eight years after the Akihabara massacre, the ripple effects of trauma manifest in the lives of three young adults: Misa, (whose mother was killed in the incident) an underground idol and JK masseuse; Rie, who secretly dropped out of school to hang with the wrong crowd; and Ken, a young man dragged into debt by his own mother, with a festering violent streak waiting to be unleashed.

Idol Kokoro Shinozaki (Miss iD, 2015) shines in her breakthrough role as troubled and complex Misa. Much like her character, the actress experienced a tough family life growing up and worked at a JK (high school girl) massage parlour and as an underground idol as a teenager.

The debut feature film from Yusaku Matsumoto uses three non-linear narrative arcs that fleetingly connect, mirroring the scale of isolation and disconnectedness in the mega-city. As a teenager, the devastation of the massacre and the suicide of his friend left a profound impact on the director: Noise is an emotional tribute to the scars of violence and the consequences of a fractured society.