When life has you trapped, anyone would scratch and claw to find a way out.
Directed by Genki Kawamura, Exit 8 tells the story of a lost man who becomes trapped in an endless, sterile subway passage as he attempts to find the mysteriously impossible exit. Imprisoned by an endless hallway loop, he soon discovers that there are ‘rules’ to his journey: he cannot overlook anything out of the ordinary. Any time that he discovers an ‘anomaly’, he must immediately turn back. However, with each wrong decision, he finds himself place back at the very beginning to start again. As the stakes rise and the players change, the man is relentless in his quest but still feels hopeless.
In Exit 8, Kawamura has created a film that feels entirely unique. Set within the confines of three hallways in the bottom of the subway, Exit 8 is surprisingly effective in its simplicity. Operating as a psychological puzzle box, the film manages to keep itself compelling, despite its repetitive nature. With every turn of the corner, we find ourselves looking for anomalies, just as our subjects do. Whether it’s a misplaced door handle, blood on the ceiling, or eyes that follow you down the hallway, we are meant to experience the discombobulating nature of a world that is constantly shifting all around us yet seems to remain the same.
What’s more, the film’s chapter like structure shifts the perspective enough to give us new insight into what’s really taking place. Without giving any spoilers, the film’s shifting perspectives, allows us to see these events through the eyes of new characters. For each new ‘lens’, Exit 8 becomes a test of character as they immerse themselves in each new subquest. Based on the Japanese video game of the same name, the film takes on the structure of a or escape room. Each new ‘level’ brings with itself new challenges and, as a result, new possibilities for failure.
Strangely though, Kawamura’s enigmatic adaptation feels almost genuine in its existential approach to storytelling. Exit 8 steps into a world where its characters are constantly faced with new challenges that requires them to make decisions about who they are and who they want to be. Whereas one character is wrestling with the potential of becoming a father, others are asking questions about the banality of life or hope for the future. As a metaphor for the ways that we move through life, every corner is fueled by choice and every decision has ramifications.
In this way, the film sits in the randomness of the world, calling on its characters to grow through their experiences and except the challenges that they face. Their willingness to either walk towards or walk away from each unique challenge reveals a great deal about their character and their integrity. For some, the anomalies are representations of their own fears. For others, they are opportunities to grow in the face of adversity. In essence, although it may sound cliché, Exit 8 genuinely believes that the journey is as essential as the destination and it fully commits to its enigmatic storytelling structure.
Admittedly, the film does take some increasingly bigger swings with its storytelling as it moves on that risk the effectiveness of the storytelling. While it begins with ‘subtle’ moments that can be tricky to catch, the film does allow itself to become increasingly wilder. However, when one considers the shifts in perspectives along the way, even these larger moments feel justified in the end.
But that’s also part of the fun of Exit 8. As the challenges get wilder, the emotional investment in these characters shifts from mere escape to becoming something better than they were at the beginning. Every step in the right direction feels like… well… a step in the right direction of their own personal evolution, offering character growth in an almost bizarre manner. Every level up feels like a victory towards emotional maturity and Kawamura ensures that no character is the same when they finally reach the proverbial Exit.
Exit 8 is playing at TIFF ’25. For more information, click here.
