Recounting the testimonies of those who are stubbornly "left behind" or considered as deviant or on the margins of the Japanese society of the 90s, Hell Bento stands as a true kaleidoscope of all these subcultures. With little means, DIY and modest staging, the protagonists are the very actors of this culture polarized by a society still traumatized by the failure of WW2 and suffering from a difficult economic period known as "Japan's Lost Decade". "Hell Bento" is segmented into several parts: gender, family, art, speed, money and nation. The film profiles the LGBTQ community, the Yakuza and the mythic 5678s band - an embodiment of Western infatuation. It also focuses on the homeless crisis, the underground music scene and even the wave of pessimism at the origin of a new nationalist wave in favour of the return of traditional Japan. The interviews and testimonies are as touching as they are cynical.
Hell Bento: Uncovering the Japanese Underground
An exploration of underground Japanese counter-culture.
