Exit 8 (2025)

	Directed by: Genki Kawamura	AKA 8-ban deguchi COUNTRY Japan GENRE Mystery/Psychological horror NORWEGIAN TITLE Exit 8 RUNNING TIME 95 minutes
	Produced by: Yuto Sakata Kenji Yamada Akito Yamamoto Taichi Ito Yoshihiro Furusawa Minami Ichikawa Genki Kawamura Taichi Ueda
	Written by: Kentaro Hirase Genki Kawamura

Review

Narrative loops and claustrophobic atmospheres are a staple in gaming, because both work well when you are in deep concentration in problem-solving mode. When watching a film, you are more aware of the mechanisms at play – more eager to find out what the filmmaker is trying to tell or evoke in you. Although Exit 8, based on the successful 2023 indie game, has moments of inspiration that may or may not send the occasional slight chill down your spine, it above all demonstrates that cinema is not videogames, and that it’s difficult to force a narrative on a framework that is inherently non-narrative. The film's best asset is its implicit existential parables; its weakest some unmotivated horror clichés and a very repetitive nature.