Before We Vanish – Sanpo suru shinryakusha (2017)

Directed by: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | 127 minutes | drama, science fiction | Actors: Masami Nagasawa, Ryûhei Matsuda, Hiroki Hasegawa, Masahiro Higashide, Kyôko Koizumi, Kazuya Kojima, Atsuko Maeda, Ken Mitsuishi, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Takashi Sasano, Mahiro Takasugi, Yuri Tsunematsu

Kiyoshi Kurosawa is not related to Akira Kurosawa: just so you know. Don’t expect a samurai movie, but a bizarre sci-fi drama movie. Now that this household announcement has been made, it’s time for the review of ‘Before We Vanish’: a very remarkable film by a remarkable director.

‘Before We Vanish’ revolves around Shinji and Narumi. This couple is happily married. That changes instantly when Shinji goes missing one day. The man seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth for a week. When he finally reappears at Narumi, something has changed. Shinji is suddenly very gentle and calm. He seems like a different person. His wife is concerned about this strange and radical change in behavior. Her husband says there is nothing wrong with him. Narumi decides to turn to medical science, but doctors can’t help either. Then Shinji suddenly declares that he is an alien who wants to attack the Earth. What now?

The synopsis of ‘Before We Vanish’ appeals enormously to the imagination, but unfortunately it lacks the elaboration. This mishmash of styles never really comes out well. Drama, science fiction and a touch of horror do not match in this case. This movie never knows what it wants to be and makes no choices. With a running time of 129 minutes, this production also takes too long and that’s a shame.

Visually, the film looks more than decent. Kurosawa knows how to display beautiful pictures and that ensures that ‘Before We Vanish’ always looks very attractive. The acting can also be there. The cast manages to convey the strange dialogues and bizarre worries in a natural way and that can be called an achievement. With a more compact running time, this special film would have made more of an impression. Now this movie is only recommended for arthouse lovers and fans of Japanese cinema.