Analysis of the film "Exit 8" and a conversation with director Genki Kawamura

Contents:

• Exit 8: Much More Than Just a Genre Horror
• Reasons for the Choice of Long Scenes in Kawamura's Films
• Reasons Why Exit 8 is Considered the Most Faithful Video Game Adaptation

Starting August 28, 2025, viewers will be able to see Exit 8, one of the most unique Japanese horror films released in recent years, in Russian cinemas. This adaptation of the popular video game not only captures the atmosphere of the original but also immerses audiences in a terrifying adventure searching for anomalous phenomena.

Film critic Yegor Sheremet explored the reasons why video game fans appreciated the new horror film and also spoke with Genki Kawamura, director of the adaptation of "Exit 8."

In this article, we will discuss:

• The reasons why a character becomes trapped in an underground passage can vary. Firstly, it may be due to physical obstacles, such as closed exits or collapsed paths, preventing them from leaving. Secondly, it is possible that the character is experiencing psychological difficulties, such as fear or panic, which also prevents them from finding a solution and getting to the surface. Furthermore, circumstances, such as a lack of communication or help from others, can exacerbate their situation. Ultimately, the combination of these factors can lead to the hero finding himself in a hopeless situation, unable to escape the underground passage.
• Why does the director deliberately evoke fear in people suffering from claustrophobia?
• The film is deservedly considered the first successful video game adaptation for several reasons. Firstly, the creators managed to preserve the spirit of the original game world, allowing fans to recognize familiar elements and characters. Secondly, the film paid due attention to the plot, which was developed with the audience in mind, creating a captivating narrative. Furthermore, the quality of the execution, including visual effects and acting, significantly elevated the level of perception, making the film appealing not only to fans of the game but also to a wider audience. All these aspects together led to the film becoming a symbol of the successful integration of gaming culture into the film industry.

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"Exit 8": Much More Than Just a Genre Horror

A young Japanese man is on a crowded subway. The car is so packed that it becomes difficult to breathe, and the passengers are tense. Suddenly, a baby's cry is heard. One of the men loses control and begins to rudely speak to the baby's mother, humiliating her in front of everyone. The protagonist, embarrassed and hesitant, looks away—he lacks the courage to confront the aggressive passenger.

After leaving the car, the hero is faced with unexpected news: his ex-girlfriend calls and announces that she is pregnant. Anxious, he wanders aimlessly through the Tokyo subway tunnels, debating whether to leave his child. Climbing another flight of stairs, he finds himself in a brightly lit corridor. A sign on the wall indicates the presence of a certain "eighth exit" just ahead. So engrossed in his conversation that he doesn't notice how he's endlessly circling the same route: each time, the corridor ends not with an exit, but with a new one, exactly like the last. Time marches on inexorably, and his patience begins to wear thin—he suddenly realizes he's trapped. Furthermore, his cell phone has become completely useless—there's no signal in this passageway. And so, having barely noticed one of the walls, he stumbles upon instructions that can help him leave this underground corridor.

The game rules are quite The rules are simple: if a character discovers an anomaly, they should turn back. Otherwise, if there are no anomalies, they can continue forward. But what exactly is meant by the term "anomaly"?"Exit 8" unfolds its plot gradually. First, the protagonist encounters a mysterious bald man who smiles eerily at him. Then he notices a poster with eyes that seem to follow him. And finally, he finds a screaming child in a storage locker. Towards the film's climax, the anomalous events become increasingly terrifying. We won't reveal all the details, but those who are afraid of rats should avoid watching this film: one of the horror scenes is depicted so disgustingly that images of rodents will haunt you in nightmares.

However, it is impossible to classify the film exclusively as a horror film. Kawamura created his work at the intersection of three different genres.

“I would not like to limit Exit 8 to the framework of any one genre. In this work, you can see elements of both J-horror and thriller, without neglecting the psychological drama. In addition, I would like to emphasize another aspect that was important to me when creating the film: having a background in feature-length animation, I sought to integrate stylistic techniques of anime into the picture.”

“Exit 8” is an adaptation of the independent video game of the same name, fragments of which filled vertical videos last year. Like the film's main character, gamers wandered through monotonous corridors in an effort to find anomalies—completing the story campaign, they encountered eight mysterious phenomena.

Director Genki Kawamura was immediately captivated by the game, noticing its accurate reflection of the problems facing modern man.

When I first encountered "Exit 8," I was immediately impressed by the elegant black-and-white design and the way the game's problems were formulated. On the one hand, it seemed deeply Japanese in its simplicity, and on the other, it had a universal character. Especially if you consider a person's life as a kind of underground passage in which many, if not hundreds, of significant decisions must be made.

Kawamura premiered his second feature film at the Cannes Film Festival's midnight screenings, an excellent choice for the debut of his experimental horror. This film impresses viewers not only with its disturbing storyline, but also with its unusual camerawork.

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The Reasons Behind Kawamura's Long Scenes

Genki Kawamura faced the challenging task of creating a feature-length film set in a confined space. Moreover, that space turned out to be quite compact: the bulk of Exit 8's plot takes place in an endless corridor, the walls of which are lined with sparkling white tiles and adorned with a few advertising posters.

Like a computer game, the film explores the concept of "Backstage"—a mythical story about a non-existent place consisting of endless, identical back rooms. Horrific videos of journeys through these desolate locations garner millions of views on YouTube. However, it was Kawamura who became one of the first directors who decided to give this creepypasta plot a deeper structure.

However, interesting plot twists alone cannot frighten the audience—which is why cinematographer Keisuke Imamura enriched the film with unique visual techniques.

The film's opening scenes are perplexing. The protagonist's face remains unseen as he travels through the Tokyo subway, conversing with his ex-lover through wireless headphones. Director Kawamura leaves no room for distancing from the character—the opening moments unfold from the protagonist's point of view. After just a few minutes, the viewer begins to feel a growing sense of claustrophobia: crowds of people, narrow passages, and constant phone outages create an atmosphere of uncertain unease.

After this, Kawamura changes the angle. As the protagonist finds himself in a mysterious passageway, the camera "breaks out" from his face, revealing Kazunari Ninomiya in full form for the first time. This sudden change in camera work creates a disorienting effect: from the crowded and stuffy subway, the character is transported to the calm and bright space of an underground corridor.

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An editor is a specialist who is responsible for creating the final version of a film or video project, combining various shot materials into a single whole. Their work involves not only selecting the most successful takes but also creating the rhythm, mood, and emotional impact necessary for successful audience perception.

Editing training can be obtained at various educational institutions. There are specialized courses and programs at universities that teach modern editing technologies and methods. Furthermore, many professionals choose self-education, familiarizing themselves with video editing programs and studying the work of experienced colleagues. Immersion in practice, participation in projects, and continuous skill development will help you become a successful specialist in this field.

In the computer game Exit 8, character movement is seamless, as editing interferes with interactive stories and distracts the player from the depth of the gameplay. Therefore, most of the film's scenes are shot in long takes: Kawamura skillfully disguises the editing cuts, creating the illusion that the journey through the endless corridor was captured in a single frame.

The illusion works flawlessly—the lack of obvious editing heightens the audience's sense of claustrophobia. The tiled corridor becomes a trap, oppressing the protagonist's consciousness. The continuous movement of the camera, which does not leave the heroes, emphasizes the hopelessness of their situation: it is possible to leave this place only by reaching the eighth exit.

Kawamura notes that while working on the film "Exit 8" he was inspired not by game adaptations, but by works of classical cinema.

"I am happy to declare my love for Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, as well as Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and Andrei Tarkovsky's Nostalghia. These three films have special meaning to me."

Reasons Why Exit 8 Is Considered the Most Faithful Video Game Adaptation

The interaction between the film and video game industries has been going on for quite some time. In the early 1990s, when Hollywood producers realized that Nintendo platformer cartridges were in huge demand, they rushed to produce a film adaptation of one of the Japanese company's most popular titles, Super Mario Bros. Released in 1993, the film was a significant box office failure, failing to recoup even half its costs. Since that tragic moment, video game fans have been wary of every new adaptation. Films like Street Fighter, Doom, and Hitman have become examples of failed adaptations that could fill entire books. However, there are also some successful examples among live-action films, such as Paul W.S. Anderson's Resident Evil and Christophe Gans's Silent Hill, which still evoke positive memories. However, it is worth noting that the popularity of these horror films is not connected with video games: the directors used only the atmosphere of the original projects, and not their plots or gameplay mechanics.

The lack of interaction is the main reason gamers dislike films based on video games. When playing computer games, the player not only observes the development of the plot, but also actively participates in it. Directors of films like "The Sonic Movie" or "The Minecraft Movie" seem to be poking fun at gamers: they show them familiar heroes, but deprive them of the ability to control them.

Director Ilya Naishuller attempted to attract video game fans with his film "Hardcore," which was shot in first-person. However, this venture was unsuccessful for several reasons. Firstly, the action film starring Sharlto Copley had no tie-in to any computer game – although the team clearly wanted to interest gamers, they did not have sufficient grounds for this. Secondly, "Hardcore" turned out to be too irritating; the shaky camera made me dizzy, and the banal plot reduced the motivation to watch the film to the end.

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In this context, Exit 8 can be considered the first true film adaptation of a computer game. Genki Kawamura managed to turn his film into an interactive performance that not only looks like the original game from Kotake Create, but also functions according to its rules. The main character of the film wanders through an ominous underground passage, trying to detect anomalies. And what does the viewer do during this time? He involuntarily becomes part of the game, trying to identify an anomaly in the design of the passage before the hero himself has time to do so.

Kawamura deliberately blurs the distinctions between the past and those observing it.

"When I decided to adapt Exit 8 for the screen, my goal was to capture the unique aspects of the original gameplay in the film. My work is not exactly a traditional film based on a game, but rather a combination of game and film elements. I sought to reflect both the player's experiences and the emotions of the viewer watching the game."

However, accusing Kawamura of mindlessly borrowing from the original would be wrong. In the video game, the protagonist is devoid of any individuality, while in the cinematic adaptation, his wanderings through a mysterious corridor are driven by a panic attack. Kawamura took a radical approach to the source material, adding a new dimension to the interactive story – a narrative about the dark consequences of male depression.

"Transition from game development The transition to creating a psychologically charged film came naturally to me. When I first encountered the game, its design, and its simple yet effective rules, the metaphor of everyday life in the context of Exit 8 immediately came to mind. The emergence of the protagonist and his insoluble problem became obvious to me—I immediately realized that the character would make mistakes and be forced to start his journey through the underpass again. The most important challenge was finding compelling cinematic methods that would allow me to visualize this process."

One of the key characters in the video game is a mysterious man in a white shirt holding a briefcase, who also became a central character in the film adaptation. Deprived of a face and emotion, the hero gained layers, becoming a character for whom one can feel empathy and understanding.

Unfortunately for many video game fans, Kawamura does not intend to adapt other interactive stories. The success of Exit 8 prompted him to reflect on the responsibility that now rests on his shoulders.

"When 2,300 spectators at the Cannes Film Festival applauded my film for eight minutes, it was a significant confirmation of its success for me. Many noted that "Exit 8" is the first successful film adaptation of a video game. This is truly high praise, but it also carries great responsibility. After the premiere, our company began receiving many offers from game designers who wanted to see their games on screen. As a producer and director, I understand that continuing to adapt video games is associated with great risk. It is an extremely difficult task. I can't say that I have plans to make new films based on computer games."