One-take films shot on an iPhone are often more gimmick than substance, but the extremely clever, low budget science fiction film “Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes” has the goods to back it up. This well thought out, smart, and wildly entertaining time loop story reaches a higher level because of director Junta Yamaguchi‘s chosen filmmaking technique and Makoto Ueda‘s bright script.
Kato (Kazunari Tosa) lives alone above a small cafe. One night, he is called over by another version of himself peering through the computer monitor, claiming to be from the future. Kato discovers that his computer is a window that will show what will happen two minutes later, and the screen in the downstairs cafe shows the past from two minutes ago. He calls his friends to test the theory, and chaos ensues.
The film is shot in real time so the audience discovers everything as the characters do, right alongside them as it happens. This makes for a fun viewing experience because viewers are able to share in the excitement, confusion, and delight as you become part of the group of friends. The increasingly wacky tactics the buddies invent to validate Kato’s claims (and eventually, their scientific experiment gravitates towards ideas on how to turn the loop into a moneymaker), are funny, and the mystery is compelling.
As a fan of low budget sci-fi, I loved this clever, creative movie.
