Hot on the heels of their acquisition of Sono Sion's Why Don't You Play in Hell?, Drafthouse Films announced today they will be distributing Matsumoto Hitoshi's brilliant dominatrix action-comedy R100. The fourth feature from the uber-famous Japanese comedian, Matsumoto's film recently world premiered at TIFF 2013 in the Midnight Madness section before making its US debut at, surprise surprise, Fantastic Fest 2013.
Here's what Todd had to say in in his review titled "R100 Is Another Mind Bending Trip From Japan's Savant Of The Strange":
What Matsumoto has done here is essentially take the premise of David Fincher's The Game and applied it to S&M with some very odd and frequently perplexing results. Matsumoto engages in what is now recognizable as his customary structural tricks and meta-narrative devices to create what is very likely a significantly different experience than what you may be expecting thus far. You see, despite the premise and the presence of a great many latex clad women, R100 is actually a rather sedate and cerebral affair.
And that's cerebral in a good way. R100 is a deceptively complex film that manages to make you think while still being incredibly entertaining. It's also perfect for Drafthouse who have put together the most curated distribution slate in the country. Here's what Tim League had to say:
"There's probably no bigger fan of Hitoshi Matsumoto's comedy in North America than me," said Drafthouse Films Founder Tim League. "Without Matsumoto, there's no Jackass; there's no extreme reality TV. With the release of his brilliant new film R100, I hope to expose this legendary comic genius to a new, wide audience."
I can't wait to see what they scoop up next!