Lights (1999)

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"I've been screening film works for nearly 50 years, and out of the many screenings I've been to, there have been two times when the audience fainted. My work "Memories of the Seaside" and a certain work by Mari Terajima. However, Hideto Ishii's "Lights" was the only one that immediately after the screening, one audience member exclaimed, "It's amazing!" and stood up and applauded. When I thought who it was, it turned out to be the filmmaker Isao Kota. Sitting through this film for nearly 50 minutes can be a pain. However, what is unfolding here is neither a spectacular view nor a visual pleasure. If you were to ask me what it was, I would have to say "abyss." That's why I'm attracted to. As you watch this movie, you can eliminate the distractions that occupy most of your mind one by one. After just under 50 minutes, you might be able to reach some kind of catharsis." — Mikio Yamazaki