Shell and Joint
2019 film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shell and Joint is a 2019 film directed by Isamu Hirabayashi and starring Mariko Tsutsui and Keisuke Horibe as co-workers in a Japanese capsule hotel.
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Madoka Katsumata
Keisuke Horibe
| Shell and Joint | |
|---|---|
Promotional release poster | |
| Directed by | Isamu Hirabayashi |
| Produced by | Tatsuo Ito Madoka Katsumata |
| Starring | Mariko Tsutsui Keisuke Horibe |
| Music by | Takashi Watanabe |
Release date |
|
Running time | 154 minutes |
| Countries | Japan Finland |
| Language | Japanese |
The film was screened at the 41st Moscow International Film Festival in April 2019.[1] It had its North American premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2020.[2]
Cast
Release
Shell and Joint was screened at the 41st Moscow International Film Festival in April 2019.[1]
The film had its North American premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2020.[2] It was also selected as one of 30 feature films to be screened during the 2020 Japan Cuts film festival, which was held from July 17 to July 30, 2020;[5] the festival took place online as a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]
Critical reception
Film critic Tony Rayns called Shell and Joint "a fascinating puzzle film, both wryly humorous and deeply serious, which sets a new tone in Japanese cinema and opens up new possibilities for narrative cinema. It's the finest new Japanese film I've seen in months."[3] Dylan Andresen of Film Threat praised the film's cinematography but noted a perceived lack of cohesion in its narrative, and called it "not for the faint of heart, short of attention, or shallow of thought. However, if you can scale the one-inch barrier of subtitles and are looking for a film to ignite the scientist or philosopher within then, this film is worth the watch."[6]