BEYOND THE INFINITE 2 MINUTES - P&I

Kato is a middle-aged shop owner in Kyoto, Japan who lives above his cafe. He spends his free time playing in a local band and sometimes thinking about Megumi, the woman in the barbershop next door with whom Kato is infatuated. One evening, after closing up the cafe, Kato is in his room when suddenly he appears on his own computer screen. The Kato on the screen is using the computer from downstairs in the cafe and claims to be from two minutes in the future. Kato is understandably confused and skeptical, but things get really strange when he goes down to the cafe computer, sees himself sitting back in his room, and begins to deliver the same message he heard two minutes before. It’s not long before Kato’s friends discover the phenomenon – which they dub “Time TV” – and devise a plan to go BEYOND THE INFINITE 2 MINUTES.

Filmed on an iPhone in a one-shot style, BEYOND THE INFINITE 2 MINUTES relies entirely on its talented cast and its slick, witty script to captivate from start to finish. Created by Kyoto-based theatrical troupe Europe Kikau, the group is obviously used to relying on their acting prowess to bring stories to life in small spaces. As Kato and his friends discover more about how to bend the rules of time using the Time TV, they begin to run afoul of the side effects of their forbidden knowledge.

BEYOND THE INFINITE 2 MINUTES is not a time travel movie that seeks to outsmart its audience; instead it takes a clever idea, injects its story with effortless humor and wonderful characters, and invites us to enjoy all of our time with it – in the here and now. (BRIAN KELLEY)