Plot: A psuedo-documentary/recreation/art film focusing on the savage horrors enacted at Unit 731, where humans were subjected to grotesque experiments for the advancement of Japan.
At a whopping four hours and twelve minutes, this uncomfortable affair vacillates from intriguing to atmospherically unnerving to long-windedly pretentious to borderline exploitative. Unlike most extreme fare this film attempts to justify its existence by coloring the events with the thoughts of those that experienced it and punctuating its most distasteful moments with the harsh proof of their reality. Still, one wonders why this plunge into inhumanity couldn't have been cut down to a more palatable (at least, lengthwise) product as no amount of supposed artistic intent in it really makes the viewer linger long on questions of ethics, morality, or even much about the frame of mind of the participants. A film for those that are interested in extreme cinema and, even then, fairly unworthy of more than one watch. Much more substantial material on this topic exists elsewhere.
Login
Home
24 Lists
121 Reviews
Collections
