YUME NO SHIRO

As though at the zoo
Spectators observe eight young adults crammed into a tiny apartment in Tokyo. Mattresses on the floor, junk and clutter everywhere, the ridiculous colours of post-adolescent décor. They do not talk, abide each other’s presence with supreme indifference punctuated by the odd exchange of blows to resolve an issue – someone changing the TV channel, say – and engage in sexual intercourse that is as banal as it is impersonal. Attending to only basic, immediate needs (sexual release, eating, sleeping) they express no emotion. And yet a young girl sobs quietly at night, with no indication as to why.

Welcome to the hyperrealism of the “semi-documentary theatre” of Japanese director Daisuke Miura (a rising star on the international scene), featuring a lack of emphatic action, actors who do not aim to captivate the audience and a dizzying emptiness that masks lassitude and worthlessness.