Customer Reviews

2LDK

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

2ldk (2-bedroom, living room, dining room, kitchen), directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi, is one-half of the Duel films project, the other being "Versus" director Ryuhei Kitamura's "Aragami."

Clocking in at around 70 minutes, the film is about a single, life-altering night in the lives of two female roommates. Both arrive at their appartment fresh from an audition for the lead role in the big-budget film "Yakuza Wives;" the choice has been narrowed down to them two. The girls have a small dinner, some meaningless chit-chat, and go straight to bed to wait for the final decision the following morning. Or, at least, try.

You see, one is a good-natured young woman, coming from a rural setting, with a strong admiration for theatre. She works hard but is rather unlucky in love and all those other social functions. The other is a sultry vixen who's more body than talent and knows it. Carrying an elitist air and a facade of sophistication, she strives for the top by the only means she knows: manipulation. Two polar-opposites existing far too close.

With the major role on the line and the tension of a love triangle going on all the while, this night, these two people will snap. Pent-up hatred will become tangible. Minor quarrels will escalate into all-out battles. And nothing is off-limits. From beauty contest trophies to chainsaws to industrial-strength stain remover, these two will stop at nothing to get the role, the guy, and ultimately, justify their own existence to themselves.

The single-set piece that is 2ldk is, at heart, fairly simple. The plot and the characters (initially) are all really basic. The real hook of the film is the extremes to which it actually goes.
What in reality may only lead to a mild slapfest here balloons into a duel to the death. The fight scenes, thankfully, do not utilize any bullettime effects or heavy CG; there's just good old-fashioned fighting, raw, suiting the movie's faux-realistic tone well.
More impressive and interesting, however, is the transformation the two female leads undergo. The circumstances bring them to terms with their own ghosts of the past and the masks they use to conceal the pain and torment explode into the bloody conflict that unfold before the viewer's eyes. By taking this loud, gaudy approach to the violence, Tsutsumi is able to better convey to the audience the gravity of the anguish the two have truly endured.

Topped off with an almost painfully ironic ending, 2ldk is a very peculiar masterpiece. Bleeding style, concise and to the point, it is a film that can be seen as a character(s) study; a big, bloody fight; or a societal critique. But, regardless of what you take it to be, 2ldk remains, quite simply, a film to be seen.

I happened upon 2LDK completely by accident, and was instantly intrigued. This is an odd psychological film, starting innocently enough. But by the end, the two roommate-actresses are literally insane, trying to kill each other. This is a rather over-the-top film, both in terms of the attempted death methods as well as the very short time frame - the entire film takes place in one evening. By the end, the confrontation is somewhat reminiscent of the opening battle of Kill Bill I. This film is clearly NOT for minors, and is quite enjoyable for its odd zaniness.

"2LDK" is a blast, pure and simple. There's no depth here, only a hint of a story, but the characters are developed just enough in the beginning to draw you into the insane action that follows.

The film is part of the "Duel Project," set as a challenge by a film producer to two directors, seeing which one of them could make the best film that featured only two characters, a single setting, and only a week to unfold. The second film in the Duel Project was Ryuhei Kitamura's "Aragami." The two films were shown back-to-back, then audience members were asked to vote by placing their ticket stubs in the box for either film. "2LDK" won by exactly one vote.

The word "2LDK" is Japanese short-hand for an apartment with two rooms (2) and a large dinning/kitchen space (LDK). This particular apartment is much cooler than your average 2LDK, and the director obviously had a lot of fun creating the space for the girls to battle in. In one corner we have Lana, a typical modern Japanese girl with bleached hair who lives most of her life making dates on her cell phone. She doesn't make much money, but has a rich collection of expensive brand-name items from male admirers. In the other corner is Nozomi, who is the typical shy country girl, with long, undyed black hair, a shy timid manner and only one man who she is setting her cap at. Putting these two polar opposites in a single living space is enough to make sparks, but to top it off they are both competing for the same role in an upcoming movie.

The director builds the tension between to two in a really clever way, letting it slowly bubble under the surface while both girls retain the veneer of politeness. When the explosion happens, it booms with a shocking fierceness. You know they are going to fight, because that is what the Duel Project is all about, so from there on it is only a matter of style. And Yukihiko Tsutsumi has some style to spare.

The only problem with this release is the DVD itself. There isn't much to it, and "2LDK" only runs 70 minutes which is pretty slim. If they had packaged this film with "Aragami" as a 2-disk Duel Project boxset, complete with back story and interviews with both directors as well as the producer who set the challenge, then it would have been a powerhouse release.

I received this as a gift for either X-MAS or my Birthday
(does not really matter)and I must say WHAT A GIFT! You have
two girls that are roommates and are trying to star in the same
movie,this you find out in the first 2 min. and it just builds
up from there. We get old trophy photos ripped in half,pubes
in someone else's shampoo also stuff thrown at a Parrot(pooor
birdie)chainsaws-bath electrocution-punches to the face-and
knives to neck! This all happens in one night!?! Great movie!!!
If you thought the first 5 min. of Kill Bill was AWESOME?
WATCH THIS!!!
I give five sharp fingernail STARS for sure!
NOTE:For those of you who have roommates I suggest letting
them borrow what ever they want and suggesting they bring
it back anytime they want!!!!!

This movie starts off simple enough with Nozomi returning home from an audition. She goes on to have a bit of inner dialogue in which she informs the viewer that one is considered to be in the top fourty percent of humanity if one has the basic necessities of life: food, clothing, and shelter. Nozomi, however, does not consider herself to be in this top forty percent because she is a rural girl from Sadoshima living in Tokyo. One is taken back by this statement at first because Nozomi lives in a large 2ldk apartment building.

Nozomi soon falls asleep, but is soon awoken by her room mate's knocking at the door. Nozomi lets Rana into the apartment and it is obvious these two girls who are living together not out of choice, but because their boss has placed them in the same apartment. While not openly rude to each other, Nozomi and Rana's dialogue is quite threadbare and they seem to be determined to one up the other. Did I mention that both women are trying out for the same role?

Tension mounts between the two women and their inner dialogue is quite entertaining. It is obvious the materialistic, brown sugar haired Rana, with her questionable background in the movie business and the plainer, Waseda university attending Nozomi dislike each other, but as additional fuel is put to the fire a conflagration begins to burn without control.

while not a masterpiece by any means, _2LDK_ is a fascinating film which I wish that this film had been released with its partner Kitamura Ryuhei's film _Aragami_, but at least we have this one.

It begins like a tragi-comedy and ends in a manga style burst of violence. To rediscover. Now.

As a true fan and and person involved with the true study of film,this picture has not received the credit it deserves.This film is by far one of the best dark comedies i've ever seen.The movie is a very simple concept that dosen't really need to be obscured with a load of text on it's "literal meaning".
Two girls sharing a small 2 bedroom apt. together are also trying to obtain the same role in a film. They are also trying to both obtain the same man. The two girls and they're completely opposite backgrounds,attitudes,and behaiviors eventually completely clash into a barrage of severely entertaining ultra-violence which entails but is not limited to electrocution, attack with an electric powered chainsaw, and burns,contusions,and lacerations galore. The movie has a delightful sense of irony which i found to be hysterical and contained some amazing cinematography (especially for a first time director).
So in closing this movie was very enjoyable on many different levels. Whether it be the ironic take on social status and the effect it has on two seperate classes, or just the over-excessive violece in which i find to be so very enjoyable!

The whole film takes place in an apartment. Two female actresses who share the place fight over the same film role and boyfriend. They piss each other off with different issues and end up in an all-out-war. From a Chainsaw to an electrocution, you get a heavy bit of extreme violence. I enjoyed all the fighting. I also enjoyed their conversations and what they were really thinking at the time, now that was funny. It's a film with a simple plot and ironic ending.

Made as part of the DUEL project along with Ryuhei Kitamura`s experimental samurai film "ARAGAMI", the famed project had certain limiting rules that applied to both films:
1) Both films will only be shot, edited, in a measly 7 days, under a very small budget.
2) Both films would be limited to an enclosed space with a limited running time--one room, one setting.
3) There will be a Limit of three major characters. (onscreen)
4) One character has to die.

The "Duel Project" is one hyped about concept, which began with Yukihiko Tsutsumi and Ryuhei Kitamura making a bet as to which of them would make a superior film with such limiting conditions. Kitamura made the supernatural-fantasy jidai geki film and Tsutsumi created a surreal comic-melodrama about two wanna-be actresses. I loved both films equally, but there is just something so sexy when two hot women go at it. Tsutsumi's "2LDK" is one bizarre and odd ride as it takes a look at two gorgeous women's thoughts, pride and insecurities which leads to an incident outrageously insane and comical.

Nozomi (Eiko Koike) and Rana (Maho Nonami) are two women, renting an apartment with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a dining room (defines the title "2LDK"). As with most roommates struggling to make ends meet, they have their petty squabbles and differences. Now things have become a little more complicated as they compete for the affections of the same man and they auditioned for the same part in a movie. Pride and jealousy become the driving force for the emotional rivalry as they are poised for all-out war; they break out the power tools, a katana, and electrical devices to fight each other to the death. These two ladies may have just forfeited their security deposit.

Tsutsumi's film begins innocently enough, as the first act displays our two protagonist's mannerisms, habits and character. Nozomi labels whatever she buys for the apartment with her initials, has this sort of an organized personality. Rana is more carefree, fashionable and even scans the kind of clothes Nozomi wears. These sequences prove to be the film's more imaginative and inspiring moments, as the audience becomes privy to the two women's innermost thoughts even without them saying anything. They eat and make small talk, and the developing tension between the two begin to grow madly out of control. A spark, a nudge is all that is needed for the two to reach a critical boiling point. Female egos and competitive nature are brought into exposition.

The second act is darkly comedic and evenly dramatic as the two engages in a heated fight. The two resort to very violent behavior as they use ordinary household materials in their furious "cat fight". The screenplay certainly uses its one location very well and utilizes its limitations naturally. Whoever owned the apartment is one odd individual, I can see a katana and a sai hanging in the wall, but there's also a chainsaw. I guess it is a way to develop its surroundings by giving it a small personality through its landlord.

The action is ultra-violent as they cut, beat, stab, and uses even shampoo (?) to induce pain, a truly vicious and lengthy confrontation is the film`s main showstopper. Some scenes become too outrageously over-the-top that the film abandons all realism. One should be dead or seriously unconscious even after the first pummeling, but the two survive, and lives to fight on. I became a little lost after I saw the electrocution scene, but I suppose all the outrageous action is meant to be comical and black. I was quite curious as to how and why neither women can take full advantage, as the fight happens in an orderly manner. Nozomi gets the advantage and knocks Rana unconscious, then Rana regains her wits and she gets the advantage--they take turns beating the tar out of each other; with their attempts always coming up a little short for some baffling reason. It is all dramatically comedic in a way to blend it with the absurdity of the action. The action and the use of simple household weaponry would make Sam Raimi green with envy. Where is Bruce Campbell when you need him?

The direction is quite simple but there are times that I thought that Tsutsumi should have done away with the occasional "shaky cam" when he filmed some fight sequences. The fight itself was real fun to watch, but it does overstay its welcome after awhile because of its length. There were times that I felt that Tsutsumi wanted to display more violence then originally intended, which resulted the film becoming a little stretched. The acting is good for the most part and our two hot Japanese women does manage to form a certain chemistry.

I would almost say that "Aragami" and "2LDK" are almost a draw; both films are definitely innovative, have their distinct traits and earned serious points for being this great for films made in seven days. I appreciated Kitamura's film a little more because it managed to be more solid in what it wanted to accomplish, had better production values, style and that it was better paced. "2LDK", however, is a little more somber and grittier, and definitely more outrageously "out there" and impulsive than Kitamura`s flashy sword fight.

Highly Recommended! [4+ Stars]

2LDK essentially stands for 2 bedroom, living, dining room, and kitchen. There are two women living in this apartment, one girl is rich and has everything she could almost want except she is haunted by a horrible past that she cannot escape in her mind. The other girl is from the country. Both girls are up for the same role in a movie called the `Yakuza Wives' and they both want the same man. Finally they have had enough of each other and there is much blood. From what I read this movie was based on the idea by a producer who challenged him and Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus, Battlefield Baseball, Sky High) and proposed to them to each make a movie with only two characters and have it done within a week and both have to be battle movies. Kitamura's movie is titled 'Aragami'.

The idea for this movie is very simple and the main cast just consists of 2 girls. There are other characters, some heard over the phone while others are seen through flashbacks. This is a very fun and action packed movie. In the beginning the girls have an internal dialogue where they just talk about what they are annoyed by that the other girl does, and they actually say the opposite thing to them. The girls finally get sick of each other and just try to kill each other with whatever weapon they can pick up. Some of the stuff they pick up is hilarious. There are hairdryers, mini chainsaws, plants being thrown, etc. You really can't help but laugh and cringe.

You really just don't see any of this coming, especially with the ending and you realize that both of these girls must be crazy. I really liked the idea of this movie but I will admit that this film does have its dull moments where you are just waiting for something to happen. Then it goes back to where you think, how many times have all of us just wanted to kill the person we pretend to get along with? Not the greatest style of movies but I did appreciate the lack of background music. It made the movie seem more realistic like you were actually watching two girls trying to kill each other.