Exit 8
2025
**½
Director: Genki Kawamura
Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase, Nana Komatsu
A man whose girlfriend has just announced that she is pregnant becomes trapped in a seemingly endless subway passage while searching for Exit 8. Depending on the anomalies he notices, he must turn back or proceed, and if he makes a mistake, he is sent back to the beginning of the loop. This Japanese thriller is based on the 2023 video game by Kotake Create, and it often feels like watching someone play the game itself. The premise and setting are creepy and intriguing, but like Cube (1997), the whole thing eventually becomes gimmicky and numbing in its repetition. For the protagonist, the ordeal serves as a metaphor for the fear of parenthood.
