River

Junta Yamaguchi is back with a film that looks a whole lot like his first (hit) one. It's not too surprising of course, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes was an insane success for an indie film, but chasing the same kind of success twice rarely leads to a better film. That said, River is a very worthwhile attempt.

A little inn in Kibune becomes the center of a strange phenomenon. The people there are stuck in a 2-minute time loop. They are aware of their situation, but they have no idea why it's only happening to them. With just two minutes before time resets, trying to figure out what's going on isn't easy.

The film's a bit more polished compared to Yamaguchi's earlier one, but the time loop setup isn't quite as original. It's still a nice mix of light comedy, mystery, and a tiny bit of sci-fi. The film is compact and there's plenty of charm here, but I do hope Yamaguchi can do more than repeat the same gimmick over and over.