“At times reality can be more fictitious than fiction itself.” When Akira Iwamatsu first heard of this first-hand narration of real-life events, he was both shocked and inspired, which has later transcended into cinema as “Ben-Joe”.

Saki Omura (Nonoka Ishikawa) is a college student who lives a seemingly peaceful life with her family. Still, behind her smiles, she is tormented by a sense of rejection and isolation. One day, she meets Rena and is fascinated by her appearance. She wishes to become thin and beautiful like Rena and be loved by everyone, but the relationship between Saki and Rena deteriorates. Social rejection and humiliation spiral her into bulimia nervosa until her thoughts are clouded by anguish. The turn of events takes Saki to a health house. During this mountain retreat, a few women with similar issues are separated from external human contact and become a part of a grotesque social experiment.

Iwamatsu is a well-known film critic and journalist, and “Ben-Joe” is his second cinematic expression, where he adopts features of the cinéma verité style to preserve the narrative's authenticity. “Ben-Joe” is presented entirely through Saki's eyes and is a soliloquy of addiction, undercurrents of society and healing that leaves the spectators in disbelief.

Milani Perera