NYAFF 2008: This World of Ours

Ryo Nakajima spent four years essentially locked in a room living as a recluse (a phenomenon known as hikikomori). Amidst this deep depression he found the fortitude to take pen to page, writing a screenplay in order to excise his demons. Exploring the frustrations of his generation, This World of Ours takes on bullying, rape, suicide, and even terrorism with the touch of an undeniable new artistic voice. The film follows three lost youths as they each face an unending gauntlet of personal and social tribulations (both individually and, at times, together – yet not) exasperated by their ambitions to be more than the rank and file of humanity. When the realization that – regardless of their actions – the world will never change dawns on each; the question becomes whether this world of ours can include them. Shot with the energy of youth, Nakajima mines gold from his meager resources and amateur actors. Shot mostly in handheld by the director himself, the film has an urgency that beautifully reflects his characters’ fractured psychological states. The result is an intensely affecting drama that plays like A Clockwork Orange by way of All About Lily Chou-Chou. This World of Ours is what truly independent cinema is all about – profound, unfiltered, inspired.