At its core, filmmaking is the manipulation of time and space within the contexts of the frame. Time can be portrayed through linear or non-linear means, sometimes a combination of both via the time-loop subgenre. Recent examples of its kind include Spring Breakers, Before I Fall, the Death Day films and going further back to Rian Johnson’s Looper. Each film incorporates its own rules, like reliving the same day repeatedly or the present colliding with the future. Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes joins this quality group by bringing together the past, present and future, using them to explore free will and what it means to be controlled by the future.
Beyond is a slick Japanese low-budget genre-bender, presented as being shot in one single take on an iPhone. Kato, a cafe owner in Kyoto, Japan, is in for the night of his life when he discovers the computer monitor in his bedroom is displaying a live feed from the monitor in his cafe. The live feed, however, is two minutes into the future. Kato and his friends push the boundaries of time by taking the “Time TV” for a ride that will take them places nobody expects.
Being Controlled By the Future
Kato is the only one in his group who fears the glitch they’re experiencing. He frequently describes his friends as being “controlled by the future.” This comes in regards to the window in time they’ve craft by having the two monitors face each other. Whatever future the Time TV shows them, they feel obligated to complete.
The concept threatens to have a false foundation in the beginning, luring the audience into thinking it’s basically going to be watching every scene twice, albeit from different perspectives. Then it becomes clear that the film is everything in between the two minutes from what is shown on the Time TV to its execution in the present. The Time TV only shows glimpses of the future, and many times it cannot be trusted. Even Kato himself plays along for a little in an act of self-betrayal against his past self.
Photo courtesy of Fantastic Fest
Going Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes
This is the external exploration of being controlled by the future. The subtext navigates the mental captivity of the future. People living with anxiety, speaking from experience, will admit to being shackled by the future. Kato hates the future, but not for reasons one might think.
Despite his humorous reasoning, his actions throughout the film come from an anxious place. Not wanting people to come over, not wanting to ask his neighbor out from fear of rejection, trying to stop the scheme before it spirals. All of this comes from the fear of what he thinks will happen. These are measures taken to protect himself from harm.
Anxiety will often have one creating future narratives out of thin air. These narratives take on a life of their own within the brain and hijack the body. Actions and emotions are executed through outlets such as isolation and distance to protect oneself from these timelines that feel real. Anxiety will trick a person into thinking they know the future and their fate is set in stone.
Kato overcomes his anxiety in the end when he has no idea what the future has in store, yet he accepts the uncertainty and still decides to risk his life. Without revealing too much plot detail, Kato frees himself by disregarding the future. The timeline that matters is the one being occupied right now. By doing this, he changes his future, and likely the world’s in some cosmic sense.
Economic Filmmaking
Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is razor-sharp. It has mastery over genre and tone, effortlessly bouncing from laughter to horror within the tight two-minute window. The cast hails from Europe Kikau, a Kyoto-based theatrical troupe, and their chemistry is obvious. They’re having a blast together concocting the story set within one location. The use of iPhone is an effective lens for audience involvement. The economics of it all will be enough to inspire a filmmaker somewhere in the world to shoot their own film. More art like that, please.
Large-scale filmmaking isn’t necessary to explore important themes like anxiety over the future. What is necessary are the right group of people, finding each other in the right place at the right time and executing a story everyone believes in. It could be argued that this is harder to obtain than the fiscal elements of filmmaking. In this sense, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes is a miracle.
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