Suicide Circle
It is a normal day as people wait for their train at a Tokyo subway station. Some schoolgirls run down the stairs laughing and telling stories. A male voice announces the next train arriving. Suddenly, the schoolgirls line up, cheerfully shout 1, 2, 3
and jump onto the tracks together. A bloodbath with 54 dead.
The opening sequence is undoubtedly one of the most gruesome in film history. The police are baffled, but an anonymous caller leads the authorities to a mysterious website that predicts how many people will soon die by suicide, and suddenly a spiral made of human skin appears. The hunt begins.
Sion Sono created a film about the trend toward suicide that is currently rampant among Japanese youth, who can no longer withstand the immense pressure of Japanese society. With happiness in their eyes and Japanese pop music playing in the background, masses of people jump, throw themselves off buildings, and cut themselves to death in Suicide Circle. Exaggerated, but with a message that is by no means clear, even at the confusing end.