Written and directed by Yûta Shimotsu, co-written by Momoko Sahara, high school student Ai sees her world collapse when a strange cult-like mentality gradually turns people around her into mindless followers who can transform simple gymnastics routines into a nightmarish dance of death. Starring: Anna Yamada, Yuzu Aoki, Pierre Taki, Ren Komai, Danhi Kinoshita, Arisa Sasaki, Kano Rogers and Jun Hosoi.
Going into New Group expecting something ultra-modern, sleek or elevated, would be absolutely the wrong mindset, because if anything, Yûta Shimotsu takes viewers into the past rather than propelling them into the future. What Shimotsu creates is a mix of old school Japanese horror and manga, it’s playful and silly and cheesy, but also bloody and a little messed up. It sounds like a slightly strange combination when you say it out loud, but it’s one that filmmakers and artists have been using for decades, pushing on a century. Kaiju movies, shark flicks, quirky comedies, so many over the years have taken that perfect blend made for entertainment and turned it into films and graphic novels that are just a great time, and Shimotsu joins them with New Group.
It may not be without its flaws, a few underexplored threads, backstories that aren’t quite fleshed out, a bit of a clichéd ending, and misses the mark on creating a full-on villain by a hair, which is a shame. Ignoring those relatively minimal weaknesses, it’s wonderfully weird, in an odd yet cute kind of way. It’s one of those films that will make you think ‘what on earth was that?’ in a very good way. It’s creative and there is definitely that satirical vein running throughout about social norms and individuality, as New Group takes peer pressure to a whole new level.
With its imaginative oddity, there is also a surprising amount of genuine sadness and a lovely friendship and romance that builds between Ai (Anna Yamada) and Yuu (Yuzu Aoki). Yamada does really well to bring that classic awkwardness to the table, the shyness and insecurity, perfectly capturing that struggle to truly be yourself in fear of standing out and facing ridicule. Whereas Aoki portrays the outsider, rejecting the need to blend in, and a fierce believer of being yourself and not simply following the crowd. The two have a great chemistry, it’s a natural connection in the sense of it’s there immediately, but it takes time for it to truly click.
Along with their performances, the cinematography from Toru Nishioka captures that high-school feel. While the story may veer far outside of everyday life, the visual nicely keeps its feet on the ground. The choreography then adds in plenty of creepy and fantastical notes, there’s something forever disturbing about such a large group of people moving in unison with stone faces. It’s simple and highly effective, but then as New Group moves forward it becomes more fun and silly, and with some good blood splatter, splatter being the apt word for it. Those moments are so reminiscent of characters in monster B-movies trying to helplessly run away, or being approached by the most ridiculous of creatures, except instead of creatures it’s just very nimble people.
New Group is a good bit of fun. It’s very weird in a charming way and is endearingly led by Anna Yamada and Yuzu Aoki. It taps into a lot of great styles of entertainment from beloved Japanese cinema. While it does have something to say about societal norms and classic high school pressures, it doesn’t force that down your throat, or overtly try to send a message, it’s organically built into the story, while the focus remains on building a piece of entertainment. It’s unexpected, playful, imaginative and bizarre, in a light-hearted yet bloody way, that’s really enjoyable.
