There’s no getting around it, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is incredibly silly. So silly that many will be turned off by the first 10 minutes. But audiences should really just trust the process and ride it out.
One of the most creative and inventive films at Fantasia Fest, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes somehow explains time travel better than most films do by not taking it seriously in the slightest. Case in point, the premise of the film centres on Kato (Kazunori Tosa), a well meaning café owner, receiving a video message on his computer from himself two minutes in the future. Kato is understandably confused and he and his friends and co-workers try to figure out how this small time loop works. The logo of a girl on a cocoa tin who’s holding a tray with said cocoa tin on it (and thereby, herself on the logo of the tray’s cocoa tin) seems to settle their understanding.
Soon enough, the group of friends starts to figure out clever ways to benefit from knowing what is happening two minutes in the future. There is also a storyline beyond “Hey, cool, we’ve found a time loop!” but the movie is best enjoyed without knowing it.
The science-fiction elements of Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes make way for the comedy. The situations that occur and the group’s usage of the time loop are very humorous and clever. But the real star of the show is in the filmmaking itself.
The film is Junta Yamaguchi’s directorial debut, which may surprise a viewer. This fact becomes more mind-blowing when one realizes that the film was shot in one take with an iPhone. While this may sound gimmicky, the end product is far from it.
For fans of filmmaking (and for filmmakers), Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is one to watch and rewatch. The amount of preparation that was involved and the clever filming techniques used is truly admirable. For instance, the video clips of the future that play on the computer screen are pre-recorded and then played in real-time while shooting. The degree of precision required by Yamaguchi and the actors to match these up is incredible.
The end credits shows a package of behind the scenes clips that provide insight into how the movie was made. It’s fascinating and will make you want to instantly replay the movie.
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is an incredible piece of filmmaking that anyone with a passing interest in how movies are made should watch. But just the same, if you’re into silly comedic stylings with a science-fiction backdrop, it will also be a movie for you. The film is a pure delight that will put a smile on anyone’s face with a high rewatchability factor.
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is screening at the Fantasia Film Festival until August 25th.
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