Japan Cuts ’24: The Box Man

It's a classic question: “who was that boxed man?” It turns out, it is considered bad form to ask, at least according to this Box Man. Although there is not a similar racial component, Kobo Abe’s character shares the nihilistic existentialism of Ellison’s Invisible Man. He also has a bit of Holden Caulfield and Oscar the Grouch in him. He might be an anonymous drifter, but people are weirdly fascinated with him in Gakuryu Ishii’s The Box Man, based on the Kobo Abe novel, which screens today as part of this year’s Japan Cuts.

According to the man who only calls himself “Myself,” you can see the reality of society from a box. He knows we’re all a bunch of phonies. Yet, he claims: “those who obsess over the Box Man, become the Box Man,” and he should know, because he is the Box Man.

The nefarious “General” and his accomplice, the “Fake Doctor,” are the latest to get fixated on his peculiar vagrancy. His box is a bit like Snoopy’s dog house. He managed to stash a lot of stuff in there, but like a Scot’s kilt you don’t want to look underneath his box. The General’s interest stems from a murky criminal plot, wherein he will assume the Box Man’s identity to evade justice. However, Box Man’s eccentric lifestyle appears to slowly seduce the Fake Doctor.

Meanwhile, the Box Man might be feeling something remotely human for Yoko, the Fake Doctor’s fake nurse. Apparently, her checkered past gives the Fake Doctor the leverage to force her to do his bidding. Of course, her shame only creates a stronger sense of kinship with the Box Man.

Before his death, Abe gave Ishii his blessing to adapt The Box Man, which means this film has been twenty-seven years in the making. It is easy to understand why it was long considered unadaptable. Clearly, Abe was addressing issues of identity and epistemology in a very postmodern fashion. However, Ishii manages to bring it to the screen in a way that still gives us something to watch, which is appreciated. In fact, it often has the flavor of an obscure Borgesian caper.

Obviously, The Box Man is not for everyone. If you are unsure, consider it a “no.” As a point of reference, it is somewhat more grounded than the films of Robbe-Grillet, but also less stylish. Ishii’s adaptation is deeply grounded in existential and post-structuralist philosophy, but Michiaki Katsumoto’s jazzy score is a blessing that greatly aids the film’s watchability. However, the deliberately elusive payoff is intentionally frustrating.

Indeed, it is Ayana Shiramoto (probably best known for appearing in the Kamen Rider TV franchise) who most connects with the audience as the vulnerable but clear-headed Yoko, rather the celebrated stars, Masatoshi Nagase and Tadanobu Asano, who portray Myself and Fake Doctor. These are tough roles to humanize and standout in, but somehow Yuko Nakamura elevates the relatively minor character of the Detective with lovely (and needed) moments of humanity.

Arguably, this is another film that might be more interesting to write about than watch (especially if you do not consider the lively score). It is successful on its own terms, but it doesn’t give a toss abut anyone else’s. Recommended for those with a taste for the darkly absurd, The Box Man screens today (7/13) during Japan Cuts.