★★★★✰
Undeniably fun, thought-provoking, and artfully constructed, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes ranks among the year’s most surprising cinematic achievements.
Filmed with an iPhone and featuring a cast of theatre actors largely making their cinematic debuts, director Junta Yamaguchi’s time-traveling mind-bender explores the implications of seeing oneself in the near future and how that knowledge can impact the present. The film revolves around Kato (Kazunori Toza), a jaded café owner who has a trippy, outlandish evening. After a mundane day at work, the deflated Kato heads upstairs to his apartment, looks around for his missing guitar pick, and is then greeted by a strange presence speaking to him from his Mac monitor. In fact, the man speaking to him is himself, downstairs in the café—two minutes into the future.
Kato-in-two-minutes tells present Kato where his pick is located and instructs him to go and parrot back what he’s said to his past self in, well, two minutes, promising that it will all make sense eventually. Thus, a time loop is created, where knowledge of the future implies an obligation to follow the script it provides the present.
Although Kato is troubled by the situation from the get-go, a few of his eccentric friends get involved. The thrill-seeking group is able to see the future beyond futures, unintentionally entrenching themselves in a deterministic loop. However, there are numerous consequences that cause problems for everyone involved, including Kato’s next-door crush, Megumi (Aki Asakura).
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes sounds like pretty heavy stuff, and there’s certainly a lot for viewers to wrap their heads around as the film unfolds. Part of why Yamaguchi’s film is so enjoyable, though, is how it balances this complex narrative premise with likably eccentric characters and a palpable sense of exuberance from start to finish. The film, despite its existential themes, is a fairly lightweight, warm-hearted, and consistently amusing watch. It always remains in constant forward momentum and never gets too bogged down in the complexity of the central conceit, bringing surprise after surprise to the table.
Created during the COVID-19 pandemic, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is obviously a labor of love for all involved, and the cast and crew absolutely make the most of limited resources. Taking place primarily in two locations and presented to seem like a single continuous camera movement, the film is able to create a convincing internal logic that becomes expansive down the road. Everything seems timed to a T, and it’s a marvel that the film is executed so flawlessly (barring some blurring images, lackluster special effects, and a couple moments when the story doesn’t hold up to close scrutiny).
The naive, childlike joy that many of Kato’s friends experience surrounding the ‘time TV’ is infectious, and it’s clear that all the actors involved are having a blast. There are plenty of hilarious moments to be found when contrasting the joyous, spastic demeanors of café assistant Aya (Riko Fujitani) and teasing pal Komiya (Gota Ishida) with Kato’s uneasy hesitance, and their camaraderie feels authentic. The characters often attempt to explain what’s happening, albeit to varying degrees of effectiveness, sometimes barely understanding the proceedings themselves. The film’s charming attitude toward the arguably terrifying ramifications of their ordeal is always engaging and sometimes peculiar, as some of them begin to question their loss of autonomy but go along with it anyway.
With a brisk 70 minute runtime, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes makes nearly every second count, and Yamaguchi builds suitable suspense later on. Beyond the fascinating premise, there’s much to appreciate in terms of Kato’s character. Going about his days fearful of the future, his time-traveling predicament reflects his overall mindset; will he live his life resigned to carry out what the future shows, or will he break free, potentially fracturing the space time continuum when he doesn’t want to follow in his own footsteps?
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is an example of a film that doesn’t need a ridiculously high budget to tell an intricate, ambitious story with charming characters expressing relatable feelings. Even if plot specifics potentially go over your head, there’s a clever, ultimately uplifting tale of responsibility, love, and freedom here, tied together with an ingenious plot hook.
The Verdict
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is a head-spinning, efficient, and endlessly creative science fiction film that’s a future cult classic in the making.
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is currently screening as part of the Fantasia Film Festival 2021.
Words by Alex McPherson
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