User reviews

A movie in the Japanese "Duel" Project, Duel project you might ask?

"Imagine, if you will, two Japanese directors who meet at a film festival, each familiar with (and appreciative of) each other's work. Then imagine a night of binge drinking that leads to the gauntlet being thrown down - a little friendly competition to see who can make the best 'Duel to the Death' film. Then throw in a few rules like 1) The script can contain no more than 2-3 characters 2) The film must be shot in seven days and on a small budget 3) the film can only take place in one setting, and most importantly 4) at least one character must die. Thus, the Duel Project was born. "

The other movie in this project is Aragmi by Ryuhei Kitamura

The movie itself is about two rival actresses sharing a stylish apartment in Tokyo. They have both auditioned for a part in a new big movie and one of them will get it. They are also fighting over a guy named Takuya.

The movie itself takes place purely in the apartment with only two actors. But it never gets boring. The acting is surprisingly solid from Eiko Koike & Maho Nonami. And camera work and directing is stylish.

The movie is now without flaws, but it's a pretty funny ironic comedy about a rivalry turned bad, very bad. And defintly an enjoyable movie experience.

In essence this is a very simplistic and minimalistic movie. It's entirely set inside one apartment and only 2 actresses can be seen on screen. Also the story in its core is very simple and straight-forward but very well- and effectively executed.

The story plays out wonderfully. It's about two young aspiring actresses, who share an apartment and are both in the race for the same role. They clearly don't like each other very much to begin with but they are friendly to each other, since they realize they have to simply put up with each other and make the best of it. They are often tiny annoyances between the two, which should be very recognizable for those who once shared an apartment with another person. However things soon start to escalate more and more between the two.

Because of the extremeness and over-the-top aspects of the movie and its story, you could also really take this movie a comedy. Not that it will make you laugh out loud but the way it's build up and plays out really reminds you of the structure of a comedy. It makes this a very entertaining and pleasant movie to watch.

It's besides well shot by Yukihiko Tsutsumi. You have to remember that the entire movie is set in just one apartment but yet the director manages to never make any of the scene's look alike and the movie also never starts to repeat itself. Granted, that this is also partly due to its very short running time (70 minutes).

A great, short, enjoyable movie to spend some time on.

8/10

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2LDK is an exceptional short film that combines the prodigious talents of two little-known actresses (Maho Nonami and Eiko Koike) with that of a marvelous director (Yukihiko Tsutsumi) in what turns out to be a surprisingly powerful, sometimes hilarious, and always provocative thriller.

I found the first half of the film, in which there is a lot of one-on-one conversation between the two women--combined fluidly with each woman's private thoughts--to be an absolute riot to watch. 2LDK offers marvelous insight into human nature and even the Japanese culture, reminding one that regardless of social conventions few people say what they -really- mean. Nonami and Koike both play their parts extremely well and with complete credibility. Amazingly, the film was shot in only a week's time despite the fact both women developed high fevers during the filming but carried on during the most physically demanding scenes without a break. I also found it fascinating to hear both actresses express having felt a certain amount of real-life animosity and antagonism towards one another during the making of the film. Great stuff.

In the second half of the film things become much darker as niceties are set aside and the two women let their true feelings show. Small disagreements become egregious offenses and events escalate rapidly to a remarkable, if not entirely unpredictable, ending. The 'weapons' the two use against each other are for the most part household items and as such make the battle even more engaging and intense.

I don't believe there is anyone who can't appreciate--or even completely relate with--the feelings both expressed and provoked in 2LDK; if you've ever had to live with someone you didn't much care for but tolerated in the name of keeping the peace--all the while letting your retributive fantasies 'evolve' from time to time--this film is guaranteed to produce plenty of smiles.

Highly recommended.

This movie is different, it's hilarious, yet violent.

I can't recall seeing a movie with a similar story. It's creative, the execution was great and the acting was wonderful, no complaints whatsoever.

Since there's already a summary, I won't get into that, if you're looking for a a movie that will entertain you for in between, this is a good choice, it's pretty short and doesn't make you think all day, but will have you entertained from start to end. Even though it's short, you will be able to 'get to know' the characters quite a bit. Some people I know didn't want to watch it because they were afraid it would be dull and the girls would just 'be there', that's not the case at all though. I totally know with which one I'd want to share an appartement with.

As always: Entertainment: 8/10 Violence: 6.5/10 Sex: 0/10

My mouth dropping constantly throughout the movie in shock until finally I just left it hang open. Very creative and original. Unfortunately some others walked out!?

I was curious what 2LDK meant after the film: in general it is a 2 bedroom apartment with living room, dining room and kitchen in Japan. The setting of the whole film.

1st watched 7/11/2006, 7 out of 10(Dir-Yukihiko Tsutsumi): Creepy, yet entertaining chicks taking jealousy to the extreme flick. What this movie is, is a no-holds barred representation of what would happen if two women were filled with jealousy and hatred towards one another and had no conscience whatsoever to keep them from going to extreme measures to put the other away permanently. It starts off slowly as the characters are introduced 1 by 1 after returning home from their respective acting auditions for the same role for an upcoming coveted movie. They share an apartment that consists of 2 Bedrooms, A living room, A dining room and a kitchen; thus the title, 2LDK. We're initially tricked into thinking that the horror aspect of the movie is going to come from outside sources instead of from within. We are then shown thru the character's thoughts that anger is heating up quickly and builds to an overflowing point that never lets go until the end of the movie. At times, the extreme violence tends to pull you away from the screen but the director(Yukihiko Tsutsumi) then promptly grabs you back in as if he knows how you're going to react. This Japanese movie goes places deep within the hearts of characters that Hollywood only barely scratches at the surface. Many times in American movies it's turned into a blood-and-guts fest only without any probing into the characters. This movie is much more than that and for this reason it's a pleasurable(kind of) viewing experience if you can last thru to the very end, despite the graphic violence.

This was a well acted, nicely paced story of two opposite roommates, competing for the same part in a movie. The story develops as we hear their thoughts and discover how much they hate each other, despite their politeness to each other. Tensions rise as the poorer, more homely, neat-freak confronts the wealthier, more sexually-experienced, relaxed princess about breaking house "rules." Attacks start out with mind games, to implied verbal slights, to overt insults, and then to ever-escalating physical assaults. This film is wild. It's funny in how much they hate each other, and how far they go, non-stop. If you can't find humor in violence, don't bother watching this. While this film goes deeply into mental, emotional, social conflict-- it is a fight movie. So don't expect Shakespeare! Also not a complex film: only two adept actresses in the same condo the whole movie. This simplicity made me like the film more. Unique. The only thing I could compare this to would be an American film called "Tape" which, while not violent, only involved 3 actors (Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and ?) in one hotel room, brooding over mental-psychological conflicts.

The plot is simple. It's about a rivalry between two aspiring actresses (Nozomi and Lana) competing for a leading role in a movie. They share an apartment (2 bedrooms with living room, dining and kitchen), in which this film is confined to. Nozomi is a quiet, shy, small-town, anal-retentive girl, who wants to make something of herself. While her roommate Lana is an attractive bimbo, b-rated star seeing this as her last opportunity to stardom. Both girls have issues. Nozomi didn't want to follow her sister's foot step of marrying a guy and fall into a typical Japanese wife role. At the same time, she's finding it's hard to attain the guy she want. Now Lana ridden with guilt because she had a relationship with a married man (she didn't know he was married) which lead to the suicide of his wife and baby. With stress and pressure of only one going to get the leading role in the movie the friction between them increase, as they head spiral down in despair.

2LDK started out very well. This is a minimalist movie, though the battle scene dragged out a little too long with little to added to the story. I just wish that they could show the escalation a little better. "Battle of the Roses" did a better job with the escalation. "Battle of the Roses" is just a better movie (unless you're looking more Asian style violent). Both actresses seem to play their part pretty good. The first 15 minutes of the film was really good...I really enjoyed the dialogs. The production is good, without anything out of place or lacking.

Bottom line: It's a minimalist version of War or Roses with more violence.

I caught this at a double bill showing with another film, and truthfully watching this film is amongst the best joys I've had for a long while. Film centres round two ambitious girls one night in their shared flat who are aiming for the same sole role in a film. The girls are like chalk and cheese together, yet they appear to grudgingly tolerate each other at first, although each dislikes the other intensely and try to tease and annoy the other subtly. But as the tension gets cranked and the stress levels rise, the Chinese wall between them comes down and the rivalry becomes physical.

The action comes thick and fast in this not overly long film, but the acting is wonderful from the two girls, and the dialogue is sharp. Frighteningly, it is as real as life itself and will remind many (including myself!) of what it is truly like living with others (its not like "Friends"). This film is like a proverbial brick being thrown at your head, but it is fun, like a "Tom and Jerry" movie with humans in many ways.

Compared to many films coming from the Asian extreme range, this is a little dilute in comparison, so if you are curious about them, yet don't think you can stomach the stronger themed films, then this is a great entry point. Wicked fun, yet violent at times, but you will certainly be entertained. A cool night out! No classic, but very worthy of attention, and I will definitely be looking out for the directors future work as it comes out.

Excellent film for a Saturday night. Great dialog and tension builds throughout the movie to a violent climax.

The story is minimal but only serve as the driving force to put into motion this half hour between the two girls in their apartment.

You can really identify to these characters as if you were to be trapped in such a situation (Your roommate destroying everything you have) you would go berserk trying to kill the other one.

The biggest flaw of this movie is the duration. It only last 1 hour and 7 minutes. I mean, the fighting is starting to become really good and it ends abruptly.

Too bad the film cuts at such a great part.

Another thing, Lana is hot, which adds to the greatness of this piece of Japanese cinema.

"2LDK" is all about two young actresses competing for the same job who spend an evening together in an apartment and get on each other's nerves. One thing leads to another and mayhem ensues. Not much of a film, "2LDK" is a mediocre little thriller with good camera art, decent work by the players, some pretty hokey moments, and a paper thin plot. Running at about 70 minutes, this short film is all Japanese with hard-to-read subtitles and, no matter how you cut it, its no more than two women, one apartment, and one evening. Recommended for people like me who've seen just about everything in their favorite genres or anyone who thinks two women, one apartment, one evening sounds good. (C+)

Wow, that's all I can say.

Both the actresses in this movie were great, especially surprised by Eiko Koike's excellent performance.

If you are looking for a movie with two girls beating the crap out of each other, this one is for you.

Takes place all in one night, all in the same apartment.

The fight scenes are quite realistic - and painful to watch.

Not for the squeamish.

All in all, a pretty good movie.

Give it a try.

Watching this after Kitamura Ryuuhei's "Aragami", I personally believe Tsutsumi Mikihiko has won in the Dual Project.

Using "inner voice" in the beginning really seemed like something a film school students would do, but it turned out to be pretty funny and really helped show the pent-up frustration within these two women, which eventually rationalized the showdown.

I like how the director depicted the series of humiliation to opponent as the most important factor in girl fights as opposed to physical pain inflicted as in male battles. That's so true in real life.

This film had a distinctive B-movie quality with sloppy production and poor camera work etc, but enjoyable nonetheless. Although the concept of only 2 main character in a single setting was quite interesting, it clearly is a huge handicap against normal movies. The "Dual Project" should never be done again.

Don't pay attention to this being billed as horror on here, it's what in the 60s would have been understood as Japanese New Wave, scathing assault on this world rather than dread of some beyond. It's compact, clocking at barely an hour, with bite to spare.

Two roommate actresses aspiring for the same role in a film and living in the same house grow increasingly unhinged over the course of one night, you can imagine this as a continuation of what Koji Wakamatsu used to do in b/w once upon a time, Tsukamoto later.

At first polite enough, propping the social facade it aims to perversely tear down, but gradually the girls turn suspicious and catty, hang up on dreams of success society has promised, a society steeped in consumerism and image; we see one girl's room lined with trophies and photos from beauty pageants, the other fusses about her collagen drink and she's a 20 year old girl.

All the accoutrements that society has said if we surround ourselves with will amount to a comfortable life here are hurled at each other, used as weapons to degrade and inflict pain with, from a ketchup bottle to a hairdryer. Modern life may be glanced in a bleak way, with a certain amusement at its failure to soothe, but I would rather rest with the underlying point that can be glimpsed here; that the flames of dissatisfaction singe from the inside, it's the constant desire, vexation, reaction to things not being what we wanted them to be. In this state of mind, even much coveted romance is denied by a girl more keen to consume her being with the meaningless spat.

So this is about the spirited meaninglessness of itself, about so much energy, dynamism and spontaneous creativity the two girls are able to muster to hurt each other, two actresses trying to outperform each other, funneled into performance that is hollow except with rage, with no more a struggle with ideals to absorb the rage as in the 60s. No Wave in place of New.

In the end even a moment of sweet intimacy, one girl yearning to be kissed for the first time, is reduced to only another performance trick in their play. Earlier a piano that one of the girls could be play beautifully had been petulantly bashed by her.

For those of us not familiar with seeking accommodation 2LDK simply stands for two bedrooms, living room, dining room and kitchen. Bought in a cheeky box set with Suicide Club and Moon Child (reviews to follow soon). I was not expecting much to be fair.

Now the thing I like about this film is that it doesn't mess about, as the envy builds between the girls small problems in the house which usually wouldn't mean anything get turned around as ammo and a chance for them to argue with each other. It's not long before the crap hits the fan and these two girls want to pull each other's hair out….literally. We get to see a much darker side to both characters as the film progresses.

...

Read the full review at: beyondthegore

I thought Aragami was the better of the two in the Dual Project. That's not to say I didn't enjoy 2LDK, it just didn't have as much behind it.

My favourite part of the film is that there were only two actresses in the entire thing. They both played their parts really well and they both were very convincing in their roles.

If you haven't already (which you should have because it's a DUEL Project), make sure to see Aragami by Kitamura Ryuhei as well. Don't take my comments as being a Kitamura fanboy either, I thought Versus sucked.

Again, you really can't see one without the other. You can find IMDb's Aragami page here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362417/

2LDK is one of two films from the duel battle. I didn't even know about all this duel stuff until I actually looked on Amazon for 2LDK and found that it came with another Japanese film called Aragami that I'd never heard of. Nevertheless I bought it because it was cheaper as two pack even though I wasn't that interested in Aragami. Well I watched them both and I have to say that 2LDK wins the duel hands down! The idea is very appealing, two directors making a film in one week, using two main actors and only one set. Yet despite its constraints it still remains devilishly more entertaining than most Hollywood hokum that exists out there. It's a rare gem that more people most definitely need to see.

2LDK only lasts 1hr 10mins which is roughly the same length as REC and Inside. However, like those horror masterpieces it relies especially on quality rather than quantity. I was pretty much hooked from the moment it started and we're introduced to these two pretentious actresses who secretly hate each other. 2LDK is very funny in its opening moments with the actresses acting to each other, acting like they like each other, when inside they can't stand each other's guts. It's (without trying to sound too sexist) is what we imagine all women to be like, a little bit bitchy, but these two are as bitchy as it gets!

The film does well making us care about these characters even though they aren't particularly likable. It's difficult to pick a side when they're both knocking each other senseless, but I also think that that's kind of the point here. 2LDK sizzles itself with terrific tension in the first half hour, where the girls begin to speak their minds, showing off their weaknesses as characters. When the fight finally begins, it hits you like a train! It begins with a few light slaps and escalates into complete mayhem. The over-the-top nature of the fight is actually very humorous at times and suitably brutal at other moments.

It's the ultimate cat fight and reminiscent of the fight between the Bride and Elle Driver in Kill Bill Vol.2 only it is the main focus of the film. It's fantastically entertaining and very innovative, with the girls resorting to using everyday household items as weapons of murder. I can honestly say that I've never seen a toilet lid used as a weapon before! I also liked how the characters were actually quite deep, with each of them clearly having a difficult past, making you care about the fight because of the two-dimensional characters involved in it. The directing is also way above par. The setting is never boring thanks to the inventive camera angles and energetic directing. There's some great controlled shaky cam moments that really capture the rage of the fight!

2LDK is pure entertainment and is the type of fun film you can watch a lot of times and never get bored. It's incredibly funny in some places and the ending was near-perfect with some painful irony that actually adds a lovely dark comic edge to finish on. I also loved the irony of how the two women were failed actresses, but their actions in one night are enough to make an incredibly entertaining film. 2LDK should be a cult classic, and loads more people should be seeking it out. It's innovative and something completely different to what we're used to. I believe an American remake is on the way, which should hopefully get more people watching this little gem!

The film begins as a kind of psychological movie with a bit of humor. It's unfortunate that it does not build on these grounds. Instead it slips into mindless violence. The two main characters hurt each other without real or at least believable reason. You cannot even call it action movie because the story is too jerky. The end is foreseeable from the very start. The characters are flat as a board. The scene is distracting and does not play. There is hardly any plot in there at all.

It requires strong will to keep watching it to the end. I recommend to avoid this film as a huge waste of time.

If you are into absurd, dark humoured comedies, you will more than enjoy this. One part of the "Dual Project", this is more entertaining than the other story (Aragami). While Kitamura seemed to have just done a light version of his (good) movie Versus, this has a few things going for it. Both have the same basic idea. Two actors (or actresses in this case) in one room.

And what happens from there, is up to the individual director. But let's say it's not something the faint-hearted will like or enjoy. But as I stated above, if you are a fan, than you will be delighted by quite a few things. It has a fast pace, some funny dialogue and just enough of everything else. If you watch it with Aragami, make sure this is the second movie you'll watch!

For some reason I was led to believe this was to be a comedy. Upon further research after seeing the movie, I could not find any evidence that it is a comedy, but I'm sure I got that idea from somewhere. Maybe it's considered a dark comedy, considering I don't usually find them funny, but not necessarily bad. Another though was maybe I just did not get the Japanese comedy. I honestly thought this was a drama with a tiny bit of horror on the side.

Anyhow, 2LDK starts off with sort of a slow burn effect, meaning it took some time to establish a feud between the two actresses, who happen to be roommates for the night and both going for the same part in a movie called Yakuza Wives. Every little thing annoys the other, such as slurping their soup and borrowing shampoo without asking, which continuously gains intensity through every scene.

When the "fight to the death" finally happens, it is extremely outrageous and over the top. Everything is used from chainsaws, ice picks, toilet bowl parts, bathtubs along with electric appliances, etc. The end could be considered somewhat comedic, although predictable. Not many movies aren't predictable anymore.

The movie was not bad. In fact, I'd recommend it if you have nothing to do. Plus, I liked how the entire movie only had the two women in it. As stated earlier, I just misunderstood what I was about to see. After reading up on it and realized the "contest" between the two directors, it has stirred my curiosity to see the other movie,which I believe is called Aragami. Very interesting. 6/10

I really enjoyed this film. I got it as part of a 3-movie collection called 'Danger After Dark' and this one was worth the price of the whole set.

Two women, polar opposites, are room mates. They are both actresses at different places in their respective careers, and they are both going for the same part. What ensues is a slow, meaningful, and inevitable battle between the two women that starts out verbally and culminates in a physical fight that neither one walks away from.

There is a good bit of tongue in cheek humor in "2LDK." I laughed a lot and so did my girlfriend. We watched it together and I'd say it's a great date flick if you find the right kind of bad ass girl who thought "Kill Bill" was lame...

Well acted, well written and well directed. Impressive.

8 out of 10, kids.