Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020) User Reviews

WOW!

[KaZenPhi · 8/10 · 8 June 2021]

A wonderfully clever almost Spike Jonze-esque indie film shot on a minuscule budget but with an overabundance of ideas.

A part time musician and cafe owner discovers that his tv is a window to 2 minutes into the future and he starts communicating back and forth between his past, present and future selves, his friends get involved and eventually multiple layers of story start playing parallel simultaneously in different parts of the future, present and past (it's complicated). All this is done with virtually no cuts. There may have been a few hidden ones here and there but even then the amount of planning and mental gymnastics to make this movie work at all, let alone as close to flawless as it is, is a testament to the ingenuity of the entire crew, both in front and behind the camera. I can't emphasize enough how cleverly this was made. When the movie starts and you get the premise you may think (I certainly did) "ok. This is cool but I could probably do that too with a few rehearsals" but then it gets so thoroughly complex and layered I laughed out several times in admiration.

Apart from the behind-the-scenes wizardry the movie never gets bogged down in high concept nonsense, instead it uses its clever SF premise to tell a small, fun and relateable story about this group of friends who happen upon a time-travelling tv.

Beyond the infinite two minutes was pure cinematic joy, I'm glad I got to check it out at this year's Nippon Connection and I'll order the bluray as soon as it becomes available.

The chicken or the egg?

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 19 February 2022]

'Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes (2020)' is an incredibly impressive low-budget science-fiction film about a group of friends who discover that a television and a computer monitor are linked via some sort of temporal anomaly. The monitor displays what the TV will see in two minutes, while the TV displays what the monitor has already seen two minutes ago. The film is, in essence, an examination of the age-old question: what came first, the chicken or the egg? The characters see what they're going to do, yet arguably only do it because they know they must. To them, the future has already happened; they seem to exist on a predestined timeline. The feature often follows its characters as they travel between the TV and the monitor, too. Because of this, the future becomes the past which becomes the present which becomes the past again. As you can see, the central concept is an extremely clever and heady one, and it gets even more complex as the piece progresses (in ways which I won't spoil here). Thankfully, the flick never trips over itself and also remains relatively easy to parse for its entire duration. It's intelligent, but not pretentious. It's all in good fun, too, and only carries the slightest hint of thematic potency. What makes it even more impressive is the fact that it plays out in what appears to be a single seamless take. Judging by the behind-the-scenes footage that plays during the credits (which also reveals that large portions of the picture were shot using a mobile phone), it appears the picture makes use of hidden cuts to achieve this. Nevertheless, it's still really spectacular and certainly must've taken a lot of planning to pull off. The piece is pretty much a choreographed dance in which the players have to interact with pre-recorded versions of themselves, recreating and reacting to the footage that plays out on the two screens that comprise the central temporal link. It's as enjoyable as it is admirable. The flick moves at a solid pace and doesn't feel as though it either outstays its welcome or artificially pads its length. It's entertaining pretty much from the first frame to the last. Despite all of its genuine brilliance, though, the thing is only ever so engaging or enjoyable. That's not to imply that it isn't engaging or enjoyable at all, rather that it only ever reaches a certain level of engagement or enjoyment. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't quite push past the promise of its solid opening movement or go above and beyond when it comes to how compelling it is. It's an odd complaint, I'll admit, and I'm not even sure if I'm conveying it correctly. Basically, I'm now trying to justify my entirely subjective and arguably redundant review score. The movie is technically triumphant, narratively complex and generally entertaining, but it only moves me to the point I feel as though I can rate it 7/10.

Thoroughly entertaining

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 2 March 2022]

Japanese low budget cinema at its best! Normally, low budget American films are absolute trash with few exceptions, but Japanese ones are invariably charming and imaginative and this one's no exception. It's a quirky time travel comedy set in a cafe, where an unusual link to the future spells disaster. Extremely lovable characters, a natural humour throughout and an anything-goes feel make this a thoroughly entertaining little movie.

Wow!

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 25 September 2021]

Kato lives above the shop that he owns in Kyoto, Japan and spends whatever time he has left after working playing in a band and thinking of the Megumi, who works at the shop next door. Somehow, in the midst of the ordinary that is his life, Kato learns that the computer screens within his cafe and apartment allow him to receive messages from himself two minutes into the future. Calling this strange experience Time TV, Kato and his friends begin to explore what they can do with this power.

Years ago at San Francisco MoMA, there was an installation that captured moments of time as you walked through it and redisplayed the time that you appeared and interacted with the art, so that it seemed like you were appearing and disappearing at times that didn't match up to your short term memory. It was incredibly disconcerting and probably what Kato feels like as he shouts messages to multiple versions of himself minutes apart from one another.

Somehow, this movie was made with an iPhone, some Apple TVs and the amazing directing, editing and cinematography of Junta Yamaguchi. This comes from Third Window Film, who also made One Cut of the Dead, and this continues their one cut style, as the film seems to be one continuous shot, which is astounding when you get to the scenes where mirrors extend the future messages into the near-infinite (or at least ten minutes).

This movie absolutely flies through its near 70 minutes but it never feels too fast, never gets boring and gives plenty of time for its characters to display emotion, heart and the joy of discovering something strange and new - pretty much just like any viewer who tracks this down.

Go back and do it again

[kosmasp · 10/10 · 19 October 2021]

Or is it go forward and do as you are told? It's kind of tricky ... it also is quite clever to say the least. That does not mean that there are no inconsistencies at all. Quite the opposite ... but having said that, if you buy into the whole idea and suspend your disbelief - you're in for quite the treat.

And if you have some love for independent cinema and movies ... well I don't have to tell you how you'll feel about it! Stay through the credits to see behind the scenes footage of how they shot certain scenes. A fun ride that takes its ... time - no pun intended. And even when you see a scene a second time - it never gets boring. The fun stays with you - a testament to the filmmakers, the idea/script and the actors, who really are transcend the fun they had shooting this (of course they were also tired as we can see in the behind the scenes footage too) ... original, quirky and just plain lovely.

Could Have Been So Much Better.

[betchaareoffendedeasily · 10 October 2022]

Don't let the rating fool you, this is not a hidden gem, BUT it is decent no-budget film making with a fairly unique concept, and with a better script, could have ecome a cult classic.

Solid concept, okay execution, fun characters, but repetitive and ruined by an ending that blows apart continuity. This movie should have had a much different ending, it had it's problems for sure, like why do the monitors have such long cords? How convenient! But that's not really a plot hole. Also, if you know anything about time travel theories, even from the beginning, this one has huge problems, but they could have been remedied with a solid ending, instead the ending literally makes it worse and throws it's own internal logic out the window. Up until the last 10 minutes I could buy into the premise, but wow, did it just become incredibly stupid in the last 10 minutes, and not in a good way.

Still, if you are used to Japanese or Korean cinema, this is pretty typical fair acting-wise for a comedy, ultra goofy. I liked the characters, I thought that they were fun, and well-developed for an ensemble movie based on a high concept. It definitely plays the concept for laughs, but it actually gets pretty serious at some points, it has some deeper themes about destiny and predetermination, but again, it generally chucks those out the window by the end. It really does become a somewhat disappointing mess by the end, I still enjoyed it, but its sad because it could have been a hell of a lot better. I think for the most part they did a good job with a pretty tricky concept, other than the last 10 minutes. I would love to see this remade with a better script and a much different ending, this could be great, but instead, it is just barely above average.

Slight, but fun

[justahunch-70549 · 6/10 · 15 February 2023]

First off, this looks pretty great for being shot on a iPhone. It's ultimately a cute and amusing little film about time travel and I mean little as in 70 minutes long. It's a bit difficult to get the hang of at first as its a tricky scenario that goes at breakneck speed early on which doesn't help, but it works for the style of the style of the film. This Japanese film make a whopping $450 in theaters! Worldwide! One can understand why though as it's so short, slight and odd. Unfortunately, it gets a little too complicated and a bit tooo silly for its own good near the end and we are left without ever finding out about the fate of some of the principals. The mostly young cast is fun as well and I am clueless as to the age of the director, but I'd bet money it's someone very young.

Time Travel Was Never So Goofy!

[alisonc-1 · 8/10 · 5 August 2021]

Kato (Kazunari Tosa) lives above the cafe he owns, a small space in a small life. One evening, he returns home from work to find that his image is on his computer and, even more, he's talking to him! It turns out that Kato-in-the-computer is Kato two minutes into the future, and that the television monitor in the cafe shows the same scene two minutes in the past. Before too long, Kato and several friends are literally playing with time, trying to figure out how to profit from this bizarre form of clairvoyance - before things begin to spin out of control....

This short (70 minutes) film is quite as goofy as the premise suggests, with a very loopy heart to it. Filmed on a smart phone by a first-time group of players and crew, using quite minimal sets, I was laughing within about five minutes of the opening, always a good sign. This year, Montreal's Fantasia Film Festival is mostly online again due to the pandemic, which is a shame - this is exactly the kind of film that our festival-goers embraces with open arms. Having to watch it on a smaller screen at home isn't quite the same, but I'm very pleased to have been able to see it at all - and FantAsia 2021 is off to a good start!

Time travel most mediocre...and fun.

[politic1983 · 7/10 · 19 December 2021]

Novel approaches to filmmaking are becoming ever-more important in an age of changing and varied viewing habits of the audience. The way a film is made is starting to become as important as the actual finished article itself. As with "Tangerine" (2015) and "One Cut of the Dead" (2017), a novel approach on a budget can lead to greater exposure, as filmmakers get creative.

In what seems an approach borne out of the increasing use of video conferencing and its time-delay pitfalls, Makoto Ueda's script, brought to life by director Junta Yamaguchi, takes a satirical view of this modern failing, as well as a warning of knowing too much about what lies ahead.

Kato (Kazunari Tosa) runs a café, living in a small apartment upstairs. While sat in his bedroom, his computer screen suddenly shows an image of him down in the café, and this image is communicating to him. Informing him that he is from two minutes into the future, he instructs his past self as to what to do next.

Heading back down to the café, as the minutes tick by, his friends all pop in and he is unable to keep his special screen from them. The more they learn about the immediate future, the more trouble they quickly find themselves in. As his friends run amok with their new discovery, it is up to passive Kato to take action...and his screen with him, in the hope he will save his secret crush from the barber shop next door from the yakuza office upstairs.

Bring your ketchup.

As the end credits show, Yamaguchi shot the film himself on a phone and edited in a way to appear as if shot in a single take, and so the film takes place in real time, making you wonder whether you should get a stopwatch to test the two-minute time lapse. But that would sour the enjoyment. As with a play, the staging and timing of the screen-within-a-screen has been very considered, and what seems like a simple film has clearly had a lot of thought put into it. Shooting on a phone is as much a practical method as a technical one; Yamaguchi able to follow his actors around as they venture up and down stairs and around the café, as cast and crew are pushed to their limits.

But, for this audience member at least, the how is just one impressive feature. Though building on Ueda's original 2014 short "Howling", this now comes across as a clever satire making it all the more fun. Having spent much of my life these past two years (not just minutes) on video conference calls, with delays occurring as if you are ever-so-slightly ahead of those viewing you, the timing of this re-vamped release adds a lot, whether or not the initial intention. One can't help but laugh.

But also, it offers the benefit of hindsight and how the most basic of prompts to grab any old item can serve as an incredibly useful weapon against the future. Uses of a bottle of ketchup have 57 varieties (Heinzsight). (Though obviously, as the Japanese title alludes to, Droste is the brand we should be referencing.) Though warnings are also given about knowing too much; and knowing what will come has as many drawbacks as benefits.

But, "Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes" is a film that ticks many boxes for an enjoyable experience: Simple, yet clever; short; creative; fun; humorous; and leaves you impressed at the skill of the filmmaking on display.

A good title for the English language release, this isn't a first in terms of what it does (real time storyline; filmed on a phone), but it combines many aspects of budget filmmaking and puts them together to good effect. But much like "One Cut of the Dead" before it, it's a film that sounds fun and delivers on its promise.

Politic1983.home.blog.

Short but very sweet

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 8/10 · 5 January 2022]

Endearing, fast-paced, and very short Japanese movie about a man who discovers a TV in his cafe that shows images from two minutes in the future. How or why? Doesn't matter. Just go with it.

Some of his friends soon discover it and begin playing around with it, devising ways to look further into the future by pointing the screen that shows the future and the screen that shows that past at each other. Confusing but very fun and low-key time travel shenanigans ensue.

It's made to look like one shot but you can usually tell when they cut. Still, most shots appear to last at least three minutes, and some as long as five or more, so there still would have been an admirable amount of brainpower and coordination required to pull off some of these sequences, especially because multiple screens are involved.

It's the kind of movie that you realise you just need to go with the flow with, and once you do, it becomes a lot of fun. The low budget and restricted setting (it takes place in a cafe and a couple of small apartments on the floors above) don't impact how enjoyable and engaging it is for its short but sweet runtime.

It's hard to complain too much about some of the rough technical aspects (and to be fair, I didn't even realise they shot it on a phone while I was watching), and the acting is good for this kind of movie, but nothing amazing. Still, it's more than worth watching for the premise and creativity found within, and for being a unique and even inspirationally low budget movie with a very high concept.

Easy to recommend, and sure, I know the year is very young, but it's my favourite film I've watched in 2022 so far.

funny, but can't really take it seriously

[lucas-marius · 6/10 · 31 December 2022]

A couple of friends find a television that shows them the future in two minutes. The film lasts only 70 minutes and had a very small budget, so of course you have to use different standards. Unfortunately, the realization of the idea is not as original as the idea itself. It leads to the fact that during the first minutes of the film almost every dialogue is repeated identically, which annoyed me a bit. Furthermore, this technical possibility is only used to acquire material things. The acting ability of the actors is rather mediocre. I would definitely watch the film in English, I can't recommend the German synchro. The film has its certain charm and funny moments, but I probably won't watch it a second time.

A fantastically funny time machine adventure in single building.

[sjbolton · 8/10 · 21 April 2022]

A strange tale of time travel that doesn't try to be serious or explain the implausible science others usually do. The comedy is really well done and the story very character driven. It reminds me much of Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers, which is another strange comedy from Japan. I like how here we are clueless along with the characters so we explore the situation along with them. While there is much that doesn't work or is just wrong from a "realism" standpoint but its not meant to be real. Just enjoy being swept along with the situation, finding answers and not finding answers as whatever happens just happens. Its just plain fun so sit back and enjoy the lack of stereotypical characters and events, maybe with a drink of hot chocolate.

Very clever project worth a watch if you like smart movies. Not serious at all.

[JurijFedorov · 7/10 · 23 August 2022]

Very smart little project. Not really a full movie with a long runtime or some deeper theme and plot. Rather it revolves around a 2 minute time machine video chat via a TV that they later expand to droste effect by placing the 2 TVs in front of each other so that they can see further into the future. A cafe owner in Japan discovers the video chat feature and it just works right away. He talks to himself in the future and then the future selves have to do exactly what happened on screen. So even if they lied or are in trouble they have to go in front of the camera and do what we saw them do. No one understands it clearly or knows why they are doing it. It's just something they feel must be done and it happens by itself.

Time Lapse (2014) has a similar story just with photos. It's based on a The Twilight Zone episode. Weirdly Time Lapse is one of the cheapest movies I have seen and this one makes it look like a blockbuster. This one legit cost nothing at all to make. With video time travel it's harder to make the time travel work. They tried to make everything one-shot. So that the acting is not great and the camera work is a bit primitive. But it has some calm and charming effect to it. The characters are smiling a lot and the story is not serious. So from the get go you get in a good mood here. Even when the bad guys arrive you are still in a good mood though a bit afraid for the characters. The movie is basically the movie makers presenting their cool idea of a time machine and then each scene expands on the idea. Much of it makes little sense. They just do what future selves tell them. And future selves do what they saw themselves tell themselves. Where is the info coming from? How do they know where to find money and how to win a fight? I'm not sure I fully get the logic of the movie. They use quite a few scenes explaining it. But the explanations are extremely basic. So clearly they themselves don't quite get it. It gets silly at times. But the weird comedic acting makes sure the silliness never feels irritating. You just go with the flow. The plot holes legit don't matter in a movie that feels like a light hearted romance/comedy, but is neither.

It's quite amazing how much movie you can make just using your smartphone camera and zero effects. They are also in just 1 single location. Using an apartment and a cafe and the camera follows the lead wherever he goes step by step. It legit is as cheap and easy to film as it can be. The time travel video chat looks like they recorded videos and then tried to fake video chat with themselves. Which is actually complicated acting. They likely talked to some other person on video chat and then edited it together in a cool way. But either way it's just not a video screen overlay, lazy cut editing, or some lazy zoom on a screen. We see them interact with each other on video. This stuff is not easy to write in a script and make work pre-preduction. The movie may have cost nothing, but it takes a year to write a script like this and know it will work.

I feel like this could have been a full movie with acting and plot. Not just a concept. You could have added on 20 minutes of just calm talk. Expanded on the romance. Maybe have them clean up the room together to create a connection. Just more human element to it. Instead it's super fast and someone is always saying something relevant to the plot and thinking about time travel. The first 10 minutes had that human element with the female worker in the cafe and the boss. She even got angry at him at one point and it felt like a proper movie. It made it feel real. But afterwards it became mostly about gags. And it's also not clear what happened to the video feed once 2 minute passed. They go to the place future selves are. But what then? They make sure to leave the camera after 2 minutes. I guess without that the script would be 10 times harder to write, but logically it's not explained. I guess that's why it became more and more silly as they knew there was not much logic left anywhere. But I feel like a few honest emotional scenes would have worked anyhow no matter the plot holes.

Very interesting movie for sure. Cool little project and Japan as a setting is quite pretty so it adds to the charm.

Good idea but...

[amaya_bi · 5/10 · 8 November 2021]

Too complex and a little boring.

You can grasp the first time loop, despite is truly boring seing the same scene again and again and again. One or two times is enough, more of that is just fill time with nothing.

Then, the infinite loop. Just crazy. You desconect from the time loop at all. Thing happens in screen but you just watch it, impossible to understand the comes and goes.

Yes, technically perfect. One single sequence shot and a lot of work to make it all fit in. But...

6.6/10. Recommended

[athanasiosze · 7/10 · 30 June 2022]

This is a movie which adults will enjoy it but it is also suitable for little kids, and it's something rare nowadays because movies are too violent or sad or twisted.

Of course, it helps if you are a science fiction fan.

It is not a masterpiece, and you should lower your expectations, this is not a 10/10 or 9/10 movie. However, you will enjoy it if you know what to expect.

It's funny, clever and sweet. Like an 80's family sci fi movie. Keep in mind that this is a low budget movie, it is filmed in a building.

Clever shooting, well planned, and entertaining throughout

[EyeSeeMovies · 10/10 · 8 April 2022]

Director did an excellent job filming how time travel would look like if we can peel into the future 2min intervals. Sequence started off very simple, and gradually added layers and increased complexity, filming everything very smartly. Worth your time if you're interesting in sci-fi and time travel.

Headache making but worth it!

[tfkpr · 7/10 · 18 July 2022]

This was one of the hardest films to watch and understand, not made easier with subtitles / really thought provoking. Enjoyable, well acted and clever - recommended.

So good

[hhno_3 · 9/10 · 17 March 2022]

The actual concept is very complicated but the way they tell the story is amazing. I really got entertained. I had no difficulty to follow the concept. Actors and actresses are good too. You need to watch this to understand the droste effect and entertain meantime.

Great first-time effort considering the low-budget!

[keenanchris · 7/10 · 17 July 2022]

Clever little film. Simple and effective. Refreshing change from big-budget, CGI, Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters.

A computer monitor can see two minutes into the future and due to the direction, enthusiastic cast, it works as an engaging, quirky little tale with a romance at the centre of it.

At one hour 10 minutes, it's short but sweet, but it's nice to watch an original film with out too many pyrotechnics, I'd recommend watching it if you're at a loss what to do for the next hour or so, but would like to see something short and entertaining. Highly recommended.

Bubbly, infectious, wholesome and fun time travel comedy

[danielatala8 · 10/10 · 3 October 2022]

Watching this movie is like taking an energy pill and you get sucked in to the movie's own contained universe, Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes feels like a triumph despite its humble presentation.

In this movie we follow a small coffee shop owner/guitarist that discovers his computer monitor connected to the tv in his shop is in a self contained time loop that lets him see two minutes into the future. Later when his friends find out about this, time travelling fun ensues!

This movie is made at a breakneck pace, not a single dead minute on it. Which is made possible by the "one cute" technique that doesn't allow for that. The dialogue is snappy, and everything happens fast. It is also very funny. This movie was apparently filmed only with a smartphone (iPhone?) which is even more amazing but also understandable considering all the positions and movements the cameraman had to do during the filming. It almost feels like an acrobatic act unfold due to how precise everything must be.

The actors are great as well, you can clearly see that everyone is having fun making this movie, it has a very happy and infectious tone that you kind of want more of afterwards. Even if the time-travelling paradox thingy feels hard to understand you can still see that the rules are consistent in the film which is the recipe for a movie with time travelling elements. It is also a film that dares to be silly and I love that! Even if the elements of it are simple you still feel it's amazing and filled with moviemaking love.

If there's anything negative about this movie is that perhaps the reactions that the initial characters have can be a bit unbelievable? I understand why they had to write it like that tho so it doesn't really bother me! Either way I had so much fun watching this movie and I can't wait to see more from this director! Please watch this, you won't be disappointed! (It's available on blu-ray)

Better than most

[Snootz · 7/10 · 5 August 2022]

I've grown exceedingly tired of time travel films because they rarely (if ever) pay attention to continuity, make scientific sense... or they just follow cliche stories that have been done a dozen times before. Yawwwn

However this one was a little different, and included enough satire to make it interesting. I didn't find anything "hilarious" in any of it, but it was fun. The continuity doesn't matter, because no one is taking this film seriously to start with. It's pretty obvious from the outset that this is just a "fun for the fun of it" film.

I found it VERY interesting that they filmed the entire movie using a cell phone. It's not the first time I've seen that done, but definitely the best. I had no idea they were using cell phone video until the credits started rolling and they showed how they'd made the film. I almost gave them an extra star just for the skill shown in the cinematography and editing.

All in all worth watching. Gave it 7 stars for "better than average". They didn't make it excessively long... and they kept the action going from beginning to end, never losing viewer interest.

Loved the acting

[sschulteis · 9/10 · 13 June 2022]

I was very pleased by the original and authentic acting of the cast.

It is not a movie that tried to copy any western style, but was truly Japanese. I liked the interacting between the people, reactions upon reactions and staying leveled like the Japanese language sounds.

No crazy acting, no overly dramatic scenes.

It is a movie worth watching if you like Japanese culture and movies. Even if you don't like the theme or if there would be some flaws in the movie. It was the play that mostly impressed me.

Shot in "one take," or so it looked.

[ritera1 · 7/10 · 12 July 2022]

Ambitious but style over substance. Cursory love story was the only substance that was qualified at the end. Don't think their timing was as accurate as the story suggested. Plot holes. Clunky execution at times as they were taking a wired monitor up and down stairs.

Worst "movie" ever

[maik-jot · 1/10 · 25 May 2023]

I have never seen such incredibly bad actors. But you can hardly talk about actors here. It's like fidgeting around in a Punch and Judy show. The dialogues are so stupid and wooden. Nobody talks like that. The idea of the film itself is actually quite funny. But the plot and the behavior of the protagonists is just completely stupid. Really unbearable. We had to turn the movie off after 45 minutes because it was just annoying.... End of the Review. I am forced to write 110 more characters. Now 91 characters. This is stupid... Still stupid. Annoying and redundant. Like the movie I just watched.

Great little movie.

[B_Truth · 9/10 · 13 April 2022]

Well shot and kinda mad I didn't think of a script so simple and effective with it's locations and concept.

Enjoyable flick. Only watched as had nothing else but glad I did.