The first time we lay eyes on Ikeda(Hideo Nakaizumi), you would never guess that he had it in him to play a killer. But there he is, hammer in hand, striking an old woman repeatedly, without a sliver of mercy across his face. Ikeda makes a convincing murderer. But when the cameras aren't rolling, he's his old normal self. He was only, as Master Thespian used to proclaim on "Saturday Night Live", "...acting!" With his shorn hair and black school uniform, you would never guess that Ikeda once wore an orange dress and made up his face for a trans-gendered play. Contrary to popular belief, an actor need not stay in character in order to coax a good performance out of the self. Among other things, "Kamyu nante shiranai" rebukes the school of method acting.Ikeda is the lead in a student film called "The Bored Assassin". It's the film within "Kamyu nante shiranai", a sort of riff on Robert Altman's "The Player" that celebrates the history of cinema like Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Dreamers". "Kamyu nante shiranai" shows us the day-to-day operation of a film crew in pre-production. Their world is a cloistered one. Even Matsukawa(Shuji Kashiwabara) has no patience for outsiders, and that's including his needy girlfriend Yukari(Hinano Yoshikawa).Professor Nakajo(Hirotaro Honda) is Matsukawa's mentor, a filmmaker in exile by his own makings. He still mourns for his late wife. Nakajo returns to the director's seat after a disastrous date. This second chance is made possible by Yukari's sudden hospitalization. We can only guess what's going on in the professor's mind, as an actress, around his dead wife's age, is being bludgeoned to death with such methodical precision. Perhaps, the filmmaker punishes himself for desiring a young woman by reimagining his wife's passing in the most violent and brutal fashion possible, or maybe the old woman's murder is a revenge in code against Yukari."The Player" was to the production of a studio film, as "Kamyu nante shiranai" is to the production of a independent(or shoestring-budgeted) film. One similarity stands out, even more so than the extended long-take that opens the film. The two screenwriters who pitch their idea to the Tim Robbins-character, sell-out when they sign-off on the happy ending. In "Kamyu nante shiranai", Hisada(Ai Maeda) complains to an associate that she'd been rejected by a television station yet again. Hisada will sell-out the first chance she gets.

Having read various reader and critic comments regarding Yanagimachi Mitsuo's inventive "Camus Nante Shiranai", I was curious to see for myself what all the fuss was about. Granted "Camus.." is a very interesting film, particularly in the way Yanagimachi slowly unravels the lives of the central characters as they struggle with the production of their student film project, but the film left me with a very unsatisfied feeling at the end. Was what happened at the end reality or was is it the imagined fictional ending of the film project? I just don't know which one it was and perhaps that was Yanagimachi's intent...to blur the lines between the real world and the world of cinema and show how sometimes we can never know where the fiction ends. The performances were compelling and well acted particularly by Kawabara Shuji, Yoshikawa Hinano and Maeda Ai. Kuroki Meisa is definitely someone to watch as she makes for a great "film Madonna". I must admit that I was a bit lost with some of the references and tributes to other films that were in the film (mostly from French and European cinema) but definitely am impressed with the cinematography, particularly the various continual long takes (a la Robert Altman) that were in the film. I can't say that "Camus.." is for everyone but it will definitely make you think at the end.

Who's Camus, Anyway? follows the trials and tribulations of a group of Japanese university film students, more specifically, it follows the final five days of the shooting of their first film, which recounts the story of a high school student who killed an old lady just for fun. Each day leading to the film's conclusion is filled with tension and anxiety, ranging from long planning meetings to the character's daily lives. What makes Who's Camus, Anyway? a great experience though, is the great character development that is so prevalent throughout the film. From the impressive opening sequence, to its stunning conclusion, Who's Camus, Anyway? is a great character study.The private life of the various protagonists interferes with the preparation of the film, and the professor who oversees their works (nicknamed Aschenbach after the character in Death in Venice) must also cope with his own personal problems. Each character on the film crew is given ample screen time, and by the end of the film, I felt like I was actually part of the film crew myself. The film is essentially a film with a film, giving us (the viewer) an inside look into how a student film is actually made, from the budget, the casting, to eventually the shooting process. This all takes a backseat though, and what are mostly displayed are the character interactions, and this is where the film really shines. The director, Mitsuo Yanagimachi, shoots the film with a great eye for shot composition. Each shot is delicately taken with care and definitely gives the viewer a great perspective to the film's scenes. His choice of youthful actors was great as well; they each were able to play their parts convincingly and gave great performances. The music throughout the film was great and was a pleasure to listen too. It reminded of music that would be played during a play or opera, and this film certainly played out like one. The music was able to display the emotional impact of certain scenes quite well, and in some cases, enhanced the scenes significantly. My final say on this film is very short and consists of only three words; just see it. It's a magnificent film, with a great cast, music, and direction. It also raises questions such as "does art imitate life, or is it the opposite?", and with a stunning conclusion that will definitely have you speculating, how can you not appreciate this film? A totally engaging experience, I whole-heartedly recommend viewing this film, you will not be sorry.

The last five days before the shooting of their first movie by a group of students in a film university in Japan. The film in the film is based on a the story of a student who killed an old lady to experience new feelings. As the beginning of the shooting approaches, tension increases, new problems arise everyday. The private life of the various protagonists interferes with the preparation of the film, and the professor who overviews their works (nicknamed Aschenbach after the character in Death in Venice) must also cope with his problems. A very gripping film played convincingly by young actors, and full of references to the films that have influenced them. Beautiful filming. The title comes from the fact that the main actor is invited to read "L'étranger" by Camus, to better understand the character he's playing. Film selected for the Directors' fortnight in Cannes.