River — River(Blu-Ray)
River is a rewarding blend of drama, comedy, and sci-fi. The Japanese film is set in & around an idyllic mountainside inn- where a two-minute time loop is causing confusion, calamity, and comradery. It’s a charming, creative, and ultimately heartwarming affair- giving a distinctive twist on the whole-time travel genre. Here from Third Widow Films- either as a Blu-ray, DVD, or digital- release. I’m reviewing the first of these, which takes in an interview with the director, a making of, and a trailer.
River (aka Ribâ, Nagarenaide Yo) is from the year 2023. It was directed by Sakai, Osaka-born Junta Yamaguchi, and written by Makoto Ueda. Yamaguchi has one other feature to his name Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020), and three TV credits including 36,000 Seconds in a Day (2022)- so he clearly has a fascination with time. Ueda has twenty-four other writing credits to his name- dating back to 2014, taking in the likes of The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl (2017), Penguin Highway (2018), Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020), & Tatami Time Machine Blues( 2022).
The film is set in a small mountain-set Japanese village in the present day- focusing largely on the village’s inn- its employees, and guests. The film's lead is Mikoto (Riko Fujitani) a twenty-something waitress who works in the inn, and it’s from her perspective the film unfolds.
The whole thing opens in a fairly formal drama manner- around lunchtime on a day when snow is expected. Mikoto steps out of the back of the inn to stand over a gently running stream- holding something in her hand, and then the two-minute loop starts. At first, she & her colleagues treat it just as odd déjà vu- but as the loop carries on, both the inn's staff, and its guests become slowly more frustrated, puzzled, and at points angry/ unbalanced.
We of course keep going back to the start of the loop throughout the one hour & twenty-six-minute film- but Ueda’s writing & Yamaguchi's direction, never let it become stale. As we move to different parts of the inn, its out- buildings and surroundings. With of course a good selection of different characters- from inn workers like a middle-aged waiter, other waitresses, and chiefs. Onto guests- taking in business colleagues doing lunch, a writer with a creative block, a man taking a shower.
As the loop carries on into double numbers- they start trying to figure a way out of the loop, who started it, and how far it has spread. With a nicely even mix of drama & comedy- which is largely playful, though it does at points move into darker places.
Fujitani is likeable as the film's lead. The rest of the fairly small cast is well placed/picked too- with a good selection of different types of characters. The riverside Inn setting is very idyllic and beautiful - just across from it are some outbuildings, and steps up to a temple- which plays a part in the film's plot. And on some of the loops, we get snowfall. The whole thing resolves in a rather neat & unexpected twist
On the Blu-Ray Ray, we get a filmed interview with director Junta Yamaguchi (17.52). He goes from talking about how the film came about, why the whole two-minute thing, the film's location, shift in tone from his first film, and much more. There’s Making of (one hour & three minutes) This takes in on-set footage, behind-the-scenes stuff, and interviews with actors, and the crew. Lastly, we get a trailer. So, around an hour & twenty minutes of extras in total.
I’ve always had a soft spot for time travel/ time loop films, and I must say River is an original & distinctive take on the genre- being a charming, engaging, and at point thought-provoking ride. I’ll most certainly be checking out more work from director Junta Yamaguchi and writer Makoto Ueda.