Nine Hours, Backwards

Ludovic Zuili, 28, spent nine hours walking backwards through Tokyo and had the whole thing filmed. The complete version aired on French television, but reversed, so it appeared as though Zuili was moving forward while the crowds of Shibuya streamed past him the wrong way. Backwards people. Backwards city. Forwards man.

It’s a stupid idea that becomes something else when you actually see it. Tokyo already has a slightly unreal quality—that density, that layering of neon and commuters and vending machines—and reversing the footage tips it into genuine uncanny territory. Everyone moving with purpose toward a destination they never reach.