It’s a typical day in Japan — in the subway stations, people scuttle hurriedly from train to train en route to their prospective commitments. As the morning rolls on, a gaggle of schoolgirls descend into the station, laughing, gossiping, and going about their days.
It’s a typical day in Japan, until all 54 girls quietly link arms at the edge of a waspstriped platform and count to three. Moments later, a wave of gore sprays bystanders as the girls simultaneously jump in front of a moving train, marking the first in a baffling wave of "Suicide Clubs."
First to the scene is Detective Kuroda (Ryo Ishibashi of "The Grudge") and his men, who find themselves at a loss as to the motive of the fatal pact. Back at the station, a hacker known simply as Bat leads the department to a seemingly pointless black Web site sparsely covered with white and red dots.
Shortly before dozens more schoolchildren perform rooftop swan dives, the detectives watch the increasing red and white numbers, which somehow signal the impending catastrophe.
At this point, the film somehow takes an even weirder and more symbolic turn. As more people end their own lives, the police discover clues that only leave them more confused: the ubiquitous, all girl, J-pop band Desert, whose hit song pleads "I need to hear from you right now or I’ll surely die," the unsettling musical performance by Genesis, the self prescribed "Charlie Manson of the Information Age," with a propensity toward violence and Rocky Horror Show-like mannerisms, and a sewn-together roll of human skin surfacing at the scene of every crime in a stained white hand bag.
"Suicide Club," also known as "Suicide Circle" and "Jisatsu Sakuru," seethes with commentary on the media, music industry and society. The soundtrack is minimal and alternates purposefully between overdramatic string progressions, saccharine pop, and unsettling dissonance. The film never offers an organized plot or concise ending. Instead, it focuses on the psychological impact of each scene, as they pull together a more abstract message.
Written and directed by Shion Sono, a well-established screenwriter, "Suicide Club’s" bizarre and darkly humorous style won a Grand Jury award at the Fantasia Film Festival for Most Ground-Breaking Film. Unsettlingly thought provoking, this is definitely a film worthy of adding to any DVD collection, cult or otherwise.
