‘Exit 8’ (2025)

A video game adaptation of the eponymous ‘Exit 8’, the film chronicles the trials of the ‘Lost Man’ (Kazunari Ninomiya), - a man trapped in a seemingly endless underground passageway. Learning to observe the ‘guide’, a simple set of three instructions to follow, the Lost Man struggles with his sanity as he attempts to find a way out.

Opening on the Lost Man taking a crowded subway train, he ignores the world around him as he listens to music. Only interrupted by the cries of a newborn and an angry business man yelling at the embarrassed mother, Lost Man gets off the train. Receiving a call from his ex-girlfriend, the two argue and the Lost Man eventually ends up making his way through the same underground passageway, stuck in a loop.

Delivering the opening via Lost Man’s point of view, the film instantly transposes us to the perspective of the main character. Going from a suffocating and overcrowded underground platform to an isolated and claustrophobic tunnel provides for an immersive and palpable experience. Shifting to a third person view as soon as the Lost Man enters the passageway trap, ‘Exit 8’ provides a simple yet effective transition into the doomed loop.

Video game adaptations have struggled in the past as the framework of the games is taken, with its main plot points intact, and suffused with a slew of recognisable cinematic techniques. More often than not, getting bogged down in trying to expand on already established lore, pulling too far from the fun and joy of running about freely in the game itself, ‘Exit 8’ manages to avoid the trap.

Director Genki Kawamura captures the spirit of the Kotake Create 2023 game by immersing us into the immediate threat and fear of the ominous passageway Lost Man is forced to wander through. Not trying to over-explain itself, the film flows freely from one anomalous passageway to the next, providing for a well paced and scary experience.

Initially walking through the passageway oblivious, Lost Man catches on and eventually realises he is trapped. Displayed as a subway sign, the rules are simple - ‘Do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, then continue on.’ Lost Man walks through the passage, noticing the details – posters, doors, signs, ventilation shafts and Walking Man (Yamato Kôchi). Realising he cannot interact with Walking Man, Lost Man tries to forge ahead.

Shifting perspectives to Walking Man, we see his story, how he becomes trapped and finds a little boy, with the two partnering up to find a way out. Dismissing the little boy’s suggestions, Walking Man resets his progress to ‘level’ 0, with the objective being to reach ‘level’, or Exit 8. Learning to heed the boys suggestions, the two make great progress until Walking Man jumps at the chance to walk through what looks like an exit, later revealed to have made him trapped wandering the passageway forever.

Exploring the sinister nature of the supernatural subterranean tunnel, ‘Exit 8’ adds flavour to the tone of the film. Imbuing the story with darkness, it becomes clear that the passageway functions as a repository for either lost or damned souls that have to reach some form of resolution or be damned forever.

Making his way trough the purgatory, Lost Man crosses paths with the little boy and the two make great headway. Building on the conversation Lost Man had had with his ex-girlfriend, the story unfolds to reveal a deep hidden fear Lost Man has regarding becoming a father.

Exploiting this angle, the film channels dark imagery and a chilling audio track to signpost the Lost Man’s hidden fear and to telegraph his reason for being trapped in search of Exit 8. Eventually making his way to Exit 8, the overjoyed man reaches a platform and tries to make his way out on the next train coming. Getting on, the film loops back to the beginning, with Lost Man ending up where he had started.

Dark and foreboding, ‘Exit 8’ functions well as an analogy for purgatory where trapped souls must confront their fears or misdeeds. Delivering a well paced and structured narrative, Kawamura brings forth a nightmarish vision of misery and torment, as the Lost Man has to resolve his feelings and keep searching for a way out.

Score: 3/4