2ldk

2003 Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi

Horror Marathon Day 9 Film 14

2LDK is a tale of macabre that cuts into the cluttered mess of horror mediocrity. Two two young women vie for the same role in Tokyo, spending the night together in a confined apartment space. The cultural niceties veil disgust- one from the rural area of Japan that seems very plain and the other a beauty pageant winner who wears overly expensive items to seem interesting. Their hatred of each other pushes the two women into emotional gaslighting and turmoil, bubbling over in a quick splashes of blood fit for an anime enthusiast.

The way there explores their psychology as the two seem to have their own unresolved attachments to men and how they'll place themselves as actresses in Japan's society. It's immediately apparent that the man and exploitative film careers they've been fighting over is secondary to the rage that they've become bonded with.

There's a freedom in the violent act- in the intertwined malicious quality of not caring for anything else that they both scream and embrace it as a totally realized moment. They feel vibrant and alive when they've broken out of any social expectation- an absurd embrace! There's a lot of tension in the buildup, as what starts out grounded in realism becomes excessive and surreal- traversing layers of built up shame and anxiety with moments of silly slapstick violence, animal viciousness, and existential explosion. A delightfully bonkers and harsh film.