Hell Bento: Uncovering the Japanese Underground (1995)

• 62%
• 1995
• Documentary
• Anna Broinowski
• Andrew Sully
• Akaji Maro
• Ronnie Yoshiko Fujiyama
• Sachiko Fujii

Recounting the testimonies of those who are stubbornly "left behind" or considered as deviant or on the margins of the Japanese society of the 90s, Hell Bento stands as a true kaleidoscope of all these subcultures. With little means, DIY and modest staging, the protagonists are the very actors of this culture polarized by a society still traumatized by the failure of WW2 and suffering from a difficult economic period known as "Japan's Lost Decade". "Hell Bento" is segmented into several parts: gender, family, art, speed, money and nation. The film profiles the LGBTQ community, the Yakuza and the mythic 5678s band - an embodiment of Western infatuation. It also focuses on the homeless crisis, the underground music scene and even the wave of pessimism at the origin of a new nationalist wave in favour of the return of traditional Japan. The interviews and testimonies are as touching as they are cynical.