Movie Digest
Aoyama has many debts and he is surrounded by loan sharks from every direction. He is constantly harassed by these people but one day a man in an orange suit comes to his rescue. He takes him to a town where you can enter of your own free will but cannot leave. That place fulfills their every basic need and you just have to exist there.
Things change when a new character comes to look for her sister and they start seeing the thing for what they truly are. together they unravel the mystery of this mysterious town.
The Feel-Good Part
The movie shows raw reality in an innovative and compels us to question some social norms we have been following so blindly. What real freedom is? What an independent opinion is or are we just being influenced by someone else’s opinion. Would you rather choose freedom or love?
Also, even though the movie is set in modern-day Japan, it has its own world-building which is creative in its own way.
The Disappointing Factor
The movie doesn’t have anything new to offer and things get rather boring in the second half of the movie. The first half and the second half of the movie feel like they are part of two different movies put together. The ideas were good enough and they can be two different movies. Both the parts don’t match each other and the second half is a mess which leads to a lot of plot holes that are not clarified till the end.
In-Depth Analysis
The Town of Headcounts movie gives Squid Game vibes without the killing aspect. It follows the life of Aoyama who is being beaten up by loan sharks and then a man in an orange jumpsuit comes to his rescue, he tells him about a place where he has to just exist. All the basic necessities are provided but you have to earn them by doing some tasks which look minimal but are wrong, like voting for a corrupt leader repetitively with stolen ballet, writing reviews about unnecessary things to increase capitalism, and using their faces to spread the news about the fake terrorist attack which is just another election scheme to keep the people blind. The main protagonist feels these things to be illicit but right when he is about to settle into his routine, Beniko comes there looking for her sister Midori. Together they all try and detangle the mess they are in.
Star Power
The star cast gives powerful acting. It is strong and realistic. Every actor gives an amazing performance.
Overall Opinion
The movie is good but the execution is poor. It was a great idea but it didn’t come out that well. If you are a squid game fan then you should give it a try.
