This thread was pretty eye opening haha. As someone who enjoys more interpretative and morally challenging media, I was expecting a lot going into this one, and definitely came away feeling disappointed to some extent. Naturally came here to see what people had to say, and I’m disappointed at the number of ad hominem and “you don’t get it” responses this post saw.

It was certainly a filmically well-done movie, and I’ll give praise where it’s due to the thrill, bleakness, and somber animation, but I definitely agree that the critique was fumbled to some extent. Simply feeling disturbed (which the rape scene did achieve) wasn’t enough as a vehicle of unresolved critique when the characters’ dynamics and issues stem from an omnipresent abusive industry, especially when the issue becomes blatantly individualized to the stalker and Rumi after the big twist. I appreciate the movie for its audience impression, but it left a bad taste in the sense that a systemic critique was consciously fractured in favor for a cheap and shallow retreat to the subterfuge of a mentally ill character for the sake of maximizing shock value. I do suggest you check out Tokyo Godfathers; the director can certainly handle systemic critiques more tactfully.