Conformity takes corporeal form in ¡°New Group.¡± Yuta Shimotsu¡¯s sophomore feature continues in the allegorical vein of his art-horror debut, ¡°Best Wishes to All¡± (2024). While that film was concerned with how happiness often comes at the expense of other people¡¯s suffering, here he¡¯s more interested in how the ties that bind us together can also suffocate free will.
Shimotsu finds an apt metaphor in kumitaiso (gymnastic formation), specifically the human pyramids that were once a staple of Japanese school sports days.
¡°New Group¡± centers on a high school with little patience for such mollycoddling concerns. Inspired by the director¡¯s alma mater, it¡¯s a stifling environment with almost military levels of discipline. Physical education sessions look more like an army drill and expressions of individuality are quashed (in one case, with a punch to the face).
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