Exit 8 is a reoccurring nightmare (Overlook 2026 review)

Exit 8 - Courtesy of NEON

Directed by Genki Kawamura, Exit 8 is an adaptation of a walking simulator game of the same name by Japanese indie developer Kotake Create. Like the game, the film establishes its easy-to-follow rules early on, while its unnamed protagonist, played by Kazunari Ninomiya, is stuck in purgatory and must solve a puzzle to escape an endless loop in subway tunnels. The premise is simple, but that doesn't make the mind-bending film any less enjoyable, or at times, unsettling.

The film begins with a nearly eight-minute, first-person sequence from our lead's POV. On a subway car, he hears an irate businessman berate a mother because her child starts crying. Our everyman tries to drown out the noise with his headphones, but then he receives a call from his girlfriend. She informs him that she's pregnant and unsure what to do about the child. I read this opening as a Dante's Inferno/Divine Comedy-type situation. What I mean by that is that the lead is essentially stuck in his life and at a crossroads, much like the poet (also named Dante) in The Divine Comedy. Both he and his girlfriend are unsure what to do about their futures, especially the child. Then, suddenly, the lead wakes up in a purgatory that he can't escape from, with some truly terrifying visions and encounters along his tortured journey. Unlike The Divine Comedy, however, this everyman doesn't have a Virgil-type character as his guide. Instead, he has to figure out the puzzle on his own if he ever hopes to escape.

The rules are stated clearly. As the man navigates the endless subway loop, he must observe his surroundings for anomalies. If he sees something unusual, such as poster changes or noises, he has to turn around. If there are no anomalies, he can move forward. He has to correctly do this eight times to escape. As viewers, it's a heck of a lot of fun scanning the brightly lit subway corridors to see if anything is out of place, such as a doorknob or the lighting. As he repeats this process, the lead encounters a balding businessman who passes him again and again, and there's something uncanny and eerie about this frequent encounter, especially since the businessman never pauses or talks. The loop continues.

Ninomiya is quite good in the starring role. He's relatable and also vulnerable. This is true from the outset when he first receives the call from his girlfriend about the pregnancy. Yet, once he's trapped in the loop and the game draws on, his frustration becomes palpable and relatable. The film's other highlight is its familiar setting, the repetition of the white subway corridors. There's something unnerving about their brightness and even the distinctly yellow Exit 8 sign that the lead sees over and over again.

While Exit 8 is likely to draw comparisons to other puzzle thriller movies like Cube, this is a very different film. It sticks closely to the video game, especially its rules and straightforward concept. If the movie has one major flaw, it's that it's a bit too light on character development, though it is clear that the lead is at a turning point in life and seems stuck. The film contains plenty of creepy images and a creative concept of what purgatory could feel like.

Exit 8 just screened at the Overlook Film Festival.

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