Symbol (Shinboru)

Surreal comedy by director Hitoshi Matsumoto, telling two parallel stories. First, Escargot Man, a family head and masked Mexican wrestler, prepares for an important fight against two opponents, twelve years younger than him. The whole family, including his failed nun daughter and her little boy are in the stands to cheer him on. Then, a Japanese man wakes up in pyjamas in a white room with no doors or window, where the only things emerging from the walls are the phallic protuberances of countless cherubim. When he presses these extremities, like switches, things happen in the room: objects materialise, doors open, meteorological phenomena occur… All of these things are vital to be able to get out of this trap, but not before a fight ensues between the character and the space. They trigger a series of strange and unpredictable events packed with teasing poetic images in an intermingling with metaphysics and meaningful messages.

 

Symbol (Shinboru)
Hitoshi Matsumoto
2009 / Japan / Blu-ray / 93 min / Original version, Spanish subtitles

Premiere in Spain