Ronit J

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes Review:

Establishing Setting

The film begins with a late evening montage of Kyoto as people have begun their commute back home. The skies are darkening, the street lights are coming on, and the air is relatively lethargic. We then enter a quaint little café, where owner Kato is preparing to retire for the day. Once the montage ends, the film’s “one-take” aesthetic takes over. The camera glides across the café smoothly at times, jerkily at others. This establishes an important feature of the film—time. The time delay is only two minutes, so every second counts! We spend every second with our characters as they run between the spacious café and Kato’s room. Yamaguchi, who was also the cinematographer, keeps you in the moment throughout the film’s 70-minute runtime.

But, is it enough to keep viewers hooked? The premise is simple enough, but it doesn’t take long for things to escalate. To be fair, the first 15-18 minutes seem a little repetitive because we’re just seeing how the time delay works. We follow the same up-down route with characters. First, we see how the future unfolds in Kato’s room, then repeat those actions down in the café to avoid a paradox. Each cycle involves a new character(s) who test it out in their own way. It was around this point that the film felt repetitive. But, Yamaguchi proved me wrong, as he let the snowballing begin.

Escalating conflicts

At this point, we divert from the established route to follow Kato as he attempts to ask out a neighbouring café owner whom he has a crush on. This for me was the point where the film really picked up. So far, everything was textbook, and a little repetitive. But here, we have learned how the TV-monitor connection works, and can spend time away from it. As Kato fails in his attempt, his friends bring down the monitor to place it in front of the TV, creating a sort of Droste effect that can allow them to see further into the future. The time-delay phenomenon gets complicated just as Kato’s emotional state seems to complicate, all this while five new members have joined in on the experimentation.

I’ll stop spoiling the film here, because everything that follows is a rollercoaster experience best enjoyed without any prior teasing/hyping. I hadn’t watched the trailer for this film. I had no idea what the film was about except what the synopsis divulged. The one-take gimmick, the raw-ish treatment of visuals, the near-perfect chemistry between the characters, everything made this a wonderful experience.

Not only is Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes a great technical achievement, but also a masterclass in how to write an engaging story. The balance between character moments and the story is near-perfect. Viewers get ample breaks between learning about the time-delay and figuring out who the characters are. Not only does it make the exploration of this phenomenon fun, it also weaves Kato’s—and some other characters’—personal conflicts into the mix, making the finale all the more satisfying and engaging.

Satisfying Conclusion

And what do I say about the finale? You don’t need to understand how the Droste effect works. You just need to trust that the folks in this film (on screen, and behind the camera) have put in the effort to both understand and map out for precision, what part of the timeline who is to appear on which screen. It’s complex but believably executed. I don’t think they missed a single mark. When the finale begins, everything you have seen until this point gets tied in ingeniously to resolve all conflicts. The ending too is sweet and fitting, leaving you with a smile.

Implications of Time Travel:

One interesting feature of the film is that it never explains how and why the time-delay phenomenon happened in the first place. After all, we’re not seeing the film from the perspective of scientists or experts; our protagonists are laymen. They neither understand nor care about the science behind it. Almost immediately, our characters jump to see how they can profit from this discovery. In fact, four of the characters even manage to get something that benefits them (no spoilers). The best part? We see both a positive and a negative implication of them trying to use time travel. After all, it’s a lighthearted film and you can’t have immoral protagonists.

Secondly, the film briefly indulges in an interesting and important conversation related to time itself. Does the future decide the course of action for the present, or does the present determine where we’re headed for the future? This underlying discourse is expertly mirrored by Kato and the others. On the one hand, Kato doesn’t want to engage with the future, whereas the others constantly look to their future selves for guidance/answers. Where everyone benefits from their futures, Kato’s life remains unchanged. Yet, it is Kato who ends up gaining the most by the end by retaining his focus on the present and the immediate. In addition, the very end of the film also has Kato break an important rule that everyone else strives to uphold throughout.

Is all this the filmmaker’s way of subtly hinting at a “live in the moment” philosophy? Because, no matter how far into the future you see, everything will ultimately depend on what you do right now.

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes Final Thoughts:

Indie films have always pushed the boundaries of filmmaking ingenuity, with a prime example being Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes. The BTS shots during the credit sequence show you a glimpse of the extensive notes the crew prepared to ensure continuity and accuracy.

If you like lighthearted, character-centric films, with a twist of low sci-fi, watch Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes!

My Rating: 9/10

Further Reading:

• Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/film/beyond-the-infinite-two-minutes/
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14500584/

Also check out:

• Help! My Dog Is The Chosen One! by Ronit J
• Abandoned by the Gods by Ronit J

I decided to write this review because I’ve been reviewing SFF titles for a while now. With my background in filmmaking, I thought why not explore this side as well? I did a brief stint as a film reviewer but wasn’t able to dedicate time to it properly. Maybe with this series of posts, I’ll be more consistent. Let me know what you think about this review in the comments below.

Subscribe to my newsletter, and grab a free copy of Abandoned by the Gods! Until next time!