AnyMart (japanische OmeU) // 40. Fantasy Filmfest // "schwarzhumoriger japanischer CLERKS mit Splatter-Effekten - nah an EXIT 8 oder BACKROOMS"

“Welcome” and “Please come back again” are the mantras repeated over and over. With its annoying customers, irritating boss, and deadly monotony, the supermarket where Sakai toils away his hours certainly evokes associations with Dante’s Inferno. When strange things suddenly start happening more and more frequently and the staff is decimated by extremely gory deaths, the young clerk is determined to put an end to the horror and fights back.

Like Kevin Smith’s *CLERKS*—but from Japan and with splatter scenes: Yusuke Iwasaki’s feature film debut—he is, in real life, the son of a store owner—won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Berlinale and offers a view of the abysses of a dehumanized society that is as dark as it is dryly humorous. With an atmosphere reminiscent of nightmares like EXIT 8 or BACKROOMS, the film delivers a clear message: consumerism can be deadly.