#Manhole review
A jarring twist shakes up an already interesting thriller.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers
Streaming on SCREAMBOX February 25
#Manhole
Directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri
Written by Michitaka Okada
Starring Yuto Nakajima
#Manhole Review
Yesterday we talked about a wild genre shift in the third act of Cara. It paid off the slow build and psychological drama that came before it. Some will bristle at the route it diverts to…but it’s an effective explosion given the long fuse lit before it arrives. #Manhole has its own wild turn to discuss…or, in our case, dance around to avoid spoilers. Unlike Cara’s shift, #Manhole pulls a narrative rug out from under the viewer without warning. It takes such a radical turn that it’s impossible to consider the film without it at the forefront of the conversation. As this is a new movie review…we’ll have to force it into the margins instead. Just know…whatever you end up thinking about this movie will be directly tied to that twist we aren’t going to be talking about.
Shunsuke Kawamura (Yuto Nakajima) is about to get married. The night before his nuptials to his boss’s pregnant daughter…his colleagues throw him a surprise party. As he drunkenly stumbles home from the party…Shunsuke falls into an open manhole. With a chemical leak in the pipe, an injured leg, and a broken ladder above him…Shunsuke must find a way to get rescued before it’s too late.
The hashtag attached to the film’s title is a nod to how Shunsuke plans to attack his situation. With a fully charged smart phone in his possession…his best chance for rescue is obviously to call for help. Unfortunately, he doesn’t appear to be anywhere near the bar he stumbled out of. His GPS isn’t working and it’s raining down on him. There are clear skies where he thinks people should be able to find him. Needing to solve his puzzle fast, Shunsuke turns to the power of social media. He creates a profile on Pecker (a Twitter substitute) for a cute girl who has fallen down a manhole.
The gambit pays off immediately. He amasses over a thousand followers almost instantly. Together they attempt to figure out where in the world Shunsuke has fallen…and how it’s possible that he got there. The injured leg needs tending to…and all he has to sew it shut is a stapler. The rising bubbles of chemicals put a ticking clock on his ability to maneuver the hole he’s stuck in. There’s a strong momentum to the first half of #Manhole that makes the movie feel like it’s flying by.
Then everything changes. When I say that your opinion on #Manhole will be tied directly to how you take to the narrative twist it unleashes…I’m not joking. There is only so much that the movie can accomplish with its simple, desperate set up. It wrings enough suspense and excitement out of it to provide a genuinely thrilling story. And then it does something unexpected. Not just unexpected…completely out of nowhere. With zero warning…and nothing to look back on and say “oh…I see what they were setting up”. Cara’s dramatic shift fit completely with the story we watched unfold before it. A visceral pay off to the slow burn psychological drama before it. #Manhole just drops its twist on us unearned.
It’s so jarring, in fact, that the story may lose you completely. Shunsuke is still in the hole…he’s still using his followers for assistance…and the clock is still ticking. But everything we knew was blown apart. It’s a difficult twist to reconcile. Even though there are some strong moments ahead…and #Manhole has some fun with its new reality…it is difficult to find your bearings after its rug pull occurs.
Since we can’t actually discuss what #Manhole does to change its narrative so dramatically…we’ll have to settle for talking about whether it was worth doing. Unlike Cara which benefited from the shot in the arm its switch provided…#Manhole threatens to be swallowed whole by its choice. Of course, your mileage may vary. It’s entirely possible that you’ll be enthralled by the decision and find that the movie hits a higher gear in the aftermath. What I can say for sure is that the radical shift is something that should be experienced. If you vibe with it…you’re in for a Hell of a movie.
That’s because of the main difference between #Manhole and Cara. #Manhole is a great movie that takes a dangerous turn. Cara is a decent movie that tries to liven up what had become a monotonous ride. The first two acts of #Manhole are thrilling. If you connect with its twist…it’s a tremendous movie. I didn’t. At all. But it’s still a good one. The mystery of how Shunsuke came to be in this specific hole is a fascinating one…and the twist plays into it in what can only be described as the least expected way possible. Any attempt to hint at or build towards the turning point of #Manhole would have softened the jarring affect it has on the picture.
It even takes the time to comment on the dangers of social media culture. The incels are out in full force to save this fictitious female that Shinsuke baits them with. Save her…by any means necessary. The movie converges most of its ideas in a way that feels natural and exciting. Then there’s the twist. You should see it for yourself. If nothing else, you’re going to enjoy the ride that takes you there.
Scare Value
It isn’t easy to talk about #Manhole without getting into the biggest thing in the movie. Everything is recontextualized to a point where it feels like two different stories. That’s always cool…even when the turn comes from completely out of left field and leaves you baffled by the decision. Such is the case with #Manhole. A movie that zips along as an interesting thriller until the direction of the story radically and unexpectedly changes course. Your thoughts on the overall movie will tie directly to how you accept the hard turn the story takes.
3/5
#Manhole Link
Streaming on SCREAMBOX February 25
