Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2013

Director Tatsuya Omori specializes in harsh depictions of an uncaring world, usually with a protagonist who brutalizes those around him. The formula worked well in his debut piece, The Whispering of the Gods, but it has since fallen flat. This pic attempts the same shock value though in this case, the lead is a meek nerd who is pushed to violence.

The script of Bocchan is ostensibly set up to explain the infamous massacre in Akihabara in 2008 where a deranged lunatic ran people over with a car and then knifed passersby. We are introduced to Kaji (Shingo Mizusawa), an introverted, cowed loser who gets a menial factory job in a provincial town. The even more pathetic Tanaka (Shohei Uno), is a gay narcoleptic and gloms on to Kaji, but the real problems start when aggressive and troublemaking co-worker Okada (Yasushi Fuchikami) turns out to be a serial rapist and murdering sociopath. Kaji weakly tries to resist but is drawn into the sick and horrible world of Okada.

The flick fails miserably in explaining how someone who is not a psychopath could commit horrific crimes and is suitably unbearable to watch. Avoid at all costs seems to be too mild a warning for this film.

English title: Bozo; 130 min