Abductee

Darkness. Chiba, a middle-aged security guard, wakes up with a plastic bag wrapped around his head, hands and feet bound. His location: a shipping container. The location of the shipping container: unknown. Next to him: a mobile phone.

This is how this chilling tale begins, which will undoubtedly remind you of films like Buried or Cube, but will soon take on a unique identity. Chiba, a loser with debts, initially thinks that his creditors have finally had enough of him, but as the film progresses, we notice together with him that there is much more going on. After all, he is not the only one in the container complex that, despite the claustrophobic setting, never bores.

Thanks to the electronic soundtrack and the ingenious camera play, we as the audience also feel dragged along between those six metal surfaces, first on a truck, later at sea, and then hoisted back onto land.

Director Yamaguchi Yudai, who some may know from his less subtle works with less subtle titles such as Deadball, Yakuza Weapon and Meatball Machine, knows how to restrain himself masterfully here. Whether he can keep that up until the end of this late-night thriller, you will have to experience for yourself.

All images: © 2013 “Abductee”