#Manhole, on Screambox

It is not simply a question of crumbling infrastructure. Admittedly, alcohol was a contributing factor, but someone might have intentionally “helped” Shunsuke Kawamura fall through a manhole, into a narrow subterranean cavity. However, his strategy of crowd-sourcing his rescue risks igniting the “madness of crowds” in Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s #Manhole, which premieres today on Screambox.

Up until now, Kawamura led a charmed life. Tomorrow, he will marry his boss’s daughter, so the firm took him out to celebrate. The next thing he knew, he fell through this hole. Unfortunately, most of his contacts are not picking up and his GPS seemingly leads the cops to search the wrong areas. Desperate regarding his fast-approaching wedding, Kawamura creates a Twitter (here somewhat unfortunately renamed “Pecker”) handle for #Manholegirl, assuming a trapped woman will better motivate strangers to collaboratively determine his location.

Of course, he must give them accurate details, so he pretends “#Manholegirl” is his sister, a potential victim of those he wronged through his philandering. Ominously, the net weirdos focus on his jealous colleague, Etsuro Kase, as their prime suspect.

Michitaka Okada’s screenplay takes some dark turns, while depicting the lunacy of online mobs. Awkwardly, the cops do not inspire much confidence either. Consequently, Kawamura might just be on his own—and the run-off water from a nearby abandoned industrial building steadily rises.

Yuto Nakajima largely carries the film on his own as Kawamura, considering his support mostly comes from disembodied voices coming out of his smart-phone. He keeps the audience hooked and also perfectly delivers the film’s big game-changing revelations.

Kumakiri’s finds clever ways to expand the film’s field of vision, so #Manhole never feels as stagey and constrained as it might sound. Frankly, it also develops a more horror-like vibe than the initial premise suggests. Recommended for fans of claustrophobic thrillers, #Manhole starts streaming today (2/25) on Screambox.