Instant Swamp (2009)

Haname (Kumiko Asô) is something of a walking contradiction. She believes only in things that she can see with her own eyes, but misses many of the coincidences that seem to follow her around. She mocks others for reading horoscopes, etc, and yet has a secret desire that fate will deliver her the romantic resolution to her slowly 'eroding' life that she hungers for. But when fate instead introduces her to a hippy (Morio Kazama) and a punk (Ryo Kase), Haname's active imagination is kicked into overdrive.
The film arrives at its message/destination in a roundabout way, but even when chasing its own tail it's fun to watch. The ending is both predicable and wildly unpredictable, but in a complementary and satisfying way.

3 "interesting circumstances" out of 5

Achilles and the Tortoise (2008)

The final film in Kitano’s surrealist autobiographical trilogy is my favourite of the three. It's less surreal than the other two, but does get more and more abstract as time goes on. It's split into three distinct phases of struggling artist Machisu's life. Each time period has its own deft focus, but all have identifiable hallmarks of a Kitano experience, with the third being perhaps the weirdest.
Like Achilles in Zeno's Paradox it seems like Machisu is always playing catch up. But the more advice he takes from experts the worse his work becomes. He just can't win, and his output grows less representative of his true self.
The fictional characters are merciless commentary on both the superficiality of the art world and Kitano's own works (he did all the original paintings).
There's tragedy, but it's wickedly funny, underpinned by a peculiar warmth.

4 accomplished Beats out of 5

Ringu 0: Bâsudei (2000)

aka: Ring 0: Birthday

A prequel to Hideo Nakata's Ringu films (see HERE and HERE) that's best viewed last to avoid spoilers for the other two. There are of course nods to the Japanese horror style that the series was credited with popularising, but with a different director at the helm the film feels very different to the others; it’s more in the traditional, dramatic ghost story genre.

It gives more info on Sadako's background and the reasons for her eventual... (spoiler). The screenplay is based on the short from Koji Suzuki, so it’s canon but still may upset some die-hard Ringu nuts.

3 boards trod out of 5