The Contestant (2023 film): Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
No edit summary |
|||
| (18 intermediate revisions by 13 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description| |
{{Short description|2023 documentary film by Clair Titley}} |
||
{{Infobox film |
{{Infobox film |
||
| name = The Contestant |
| name = The Contestant |
||
| image = |
| image = The Contestant (2023 film).jpg |
||
| caption = |
| caption = |
||
| director = Clair Titley |
| director = Clair Titley |
||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
* Andee Ryder |
* Andee Ryder |
||
* Ian Bonhote |
* Ian Bonhote |
||
* Amit Dey |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
| starring = {{Plainlist| |
| starring = {{Plainlist| |
||
| Line 19: | Line 20: | ||
* Misfits Entertainment |
* Misfits Entertainment |
||
}} |
}} |
||
| released = {{Film date|2023|9|8|[[2023 Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]]}} |
| distributor = [[Hulu]] |
||
| released = {{Film date|2023|9|8|[[2023 Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]]|2024|5|2|United States}} |
|||
| runtime = 90 minutes |
| runtime = 90 minutes |
||
| country = United Kingdom |
| country = United Kingdom |
||
| Line 30: | Line 32: | ||
}} |
}} |
||
'''''The Contestant''''' is |
'''''The Contestant''''' is a British [[documentary film]] directed by Clair Titley. It tells the story of [[Tomoaki Hamatsu]], better known as Nasubi (なすび, "Eggplant"), as he starred in a 1998 Japanese reality TV show.<ref name="the-wrap" /> |
||
==Cast== |
==Cast== |
||
* [[Tomoaki Hamatsu]] as himself |
* [[Tomoaki Hamatsu]] as himself |
||
* [[Toshio Tsuchiya]] as himself, a producer of ''[[Susunu! Denpa Shōnen]]'', the show on which Hamatsu's segment aired |
* [[Toshio Tsuchiya]] as himself, a producer of ''[[Susunu! Denpa Shōnen]]'', the show on which Hamatsu's segment aired |
||
* [[Fred Armisen]] as the narrator<ref name="the-wrap">{{cite web |last1=Pond |first1=Steve |title= |
* [[Fred Armisen]] as the narrator<ref name="the-wrap">{{cite web |last1=Pond |first1=Steve |title='The Contestant' Review: 1998 Japanese Reality Show Makes for Absurd Entertainment |url=https://www.thewrap.com/the-contestant-movie-review-toronto-film-festival/ |website=The Wrap |date=8 September 2023 |access-date=6 October 2023}}</ref> |
||
==Premise== |
==Premise== |
||
{{ |
{{further|Nasubi}} |
||
Hamatsu was challenged to stay alone, unclothed, in an apartment for ''[[Susunu! Denpa Shōnen]]'', a Japanese [[reality television|reality-television]] show on [[Nippon Television]]. He was challenged to enter mail-in [[sweepstakes]] until he won [[Japanese yen|¥]]1 million (about [[United States dollar|$]]8,000) in total. He started with nothing (including no clothes), was cut off from outside communication and broadcasting, and had nothing to keep him company except the magazines he combed through for sweepstakes entry forms. |
Hamatsu was challenged to stay alone, unclothed, in an apartment for ''[[Susunu! Denpa Shōnen]]'', a Japanese [[reality television|reality-television]] show on [[Nippon Television]]. He was challenged to enter mail-in [[sweepstakes]] until he won [[Japanese yen|¥]]1 million (about [[United States dollar|$]]8,000) in total. He started with nothing (including no clothes), was cut off from outside communication and broadcasting, and had nothing to keep him company except the magazines he combed through for sweepstakes entry forms. |
||
During the show, his diaries on his experience of being locked away from the outside world became a best seller in Japan, and the TV show broke all records with 17 million viewers each Sunday night.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McPherson |first1=Jed |title=The Show Behind The Show |url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/the-show-behind-the-show/ |website=[[Bleeding Cool]] |access-date=3 August 2022 |language=en |date=1 February 2020}}</ref> |
During the show, his diaries on his experience of being locked away from the outside world became a best seller in Japan, and the TV show broke all records with 17 million viewers each Sunday night.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McPherson |first1=Jed |title=The Show Behind The Show |url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/the-show-behind-the-show/ |website=[[Bleeding Cool]] |access-date=3 August 2022 |language=en |date=1 February 2020}}</ref> |
||
==Release== |
==Release== |
||
''The Contestant'' had its world premiere at the [[2023 Toronto International Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ehrlich |first1=David |title= |
''The Contestant'' had its world premiere at the [[2023 Toronto International Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ehrlich |first1=David |title='The Contestant' Review: A Harrowing Documentary Revisits the Cruelest Reality TV Show Ever Made |url=https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-contestant-review-nasubi-1234903115/ |website=IndieWire |date=8 September 2023 |access-date=6 October 2023}}</ref> It also screened at the [[Camden International Film Festival]].<ref name="variety">{{cite web |last1=Morfoot |first1=Addie |title='The Contestant' Director Clair Titley on the Fallout From Reality TV: 'We Are All Complicit' |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/the-contestant-clair-titley-reality-tv-nasubi-1235725000/ |website=Variety |date=16 September 2023 |access-date=7 October 2023}}</ref> In November 2023, [[Hulu]] acquired U.S. distribution rights to the documentary,<ref>{{cite web|title='The Contestant': Hulu Acquires Rights To Documentary From MRC, Misfits Entertainment|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|first=Lynette|last=Rice|date=28 November 2023|access-date=29 November 2023|url=https://deadline.com/2023/11/the-contestant-hulu-acquires-rights-documentary-nasubi-1235640239/}}</ref> and released it on May 2, 2024.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hulu Reveals Premiere Dates For 'Under The Bridge', 'The Contestant' & 'Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told'|url=https://deadline.com/2024/02/hulu-premiere-dates-under-the-bridge-the-contestant-freaknik-the-wildest-party-never-told-1235820003/|last=Rice|first=Lynette|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=February 9, 2024|access-date=May 2, 2024}}</ref> |
||
==Reception== |
==Reception== |
||
On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], 93% of 41 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's consensus reads, "A transfixing depiction of abject cruelty, ''The Contestant'' raises a series of thought-provoking questions about human behavior, even if it leaves most of them largely unexplored."<ref>{{cite web |title=The Contestant |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_contestant |access-date=October 21, 2024 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]]}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film holds a weighted average score of 71 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Contestant |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-contestant/ |access-date=May 2, 2024 |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[Fandom, Inc.]]}}</ref> |
|||
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]] the film has an approval rating of 90% based on 10 reviews.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Contestant - Rotten Tomatoes |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_contestant |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
| Line 62: | Line 64: | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Contestant, The}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Contestant, The}} |
||
[[Category:2020s English-language films]] |
[[Category:2020s English-language films]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
[[Category:2023 documentary films]] |
[[Category:2023 documentary films]] |
||
[[Category:2023 films]] |
[[Category:2023 films]] |
||
[[Category:2020s British films]] |
[[Category:2020s British films]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
[[Category:Documentary films about television]] |
[[Category:Documentary films about television]] |
||
[[Category:Hulu original films]] |
|||
[[Category:Media Rights Capital films]] |
[[Category:Media Rights Capital films]] |
||
[[Category:English-language documentary films]] |
|||
<!-- Categories --> |
|||
Latest revision as of 00:44, 22 October 2024
| The Contestant | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Clair Titley |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Narrated by | Fred Armisen |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Hulu |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Languages |
|
The Contestant is a British documentary film directed by Clair Titley. It tells the story of Tomoaki Hamatsu, better known as Nasubi (なすび, "Eggplant"), as he starred in a 1998 Japanese reality TV show.[1]
Cast
[edit]- Tomoaki Hamatsu as himself
- Toshio Tsuchiya as himself, a producer of Susunu! Denpa Shōnen, the show on which Hamatsu's segment aired
- Fred Armisen as the narrator[1]
Premise
[edit]Hamatsu was challenged to stay alone, unclothed, in an apartment for Susunu! Denpa Shōnen, a Japanese reality-television show on Nippon Television. He was challenged to enter mail-in sweepstakes until he won ¥1 million (about $8,000) in total. He started with nothing (including no clothes), was cut off from outside communication and broadcasting, and had nothing to keep him company except the magazines he combed through for sweepstakes entry forms.
During the show, his diaries on his experience of being locked away from the outside world became a best seller in Japan, and the TV show broke all records with 17 million viewers each Sunday night.[2]
Release
[edit]The Contestant had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.[3] It also screened at the Camden International Film Festival.[4] In November 2023, Hulu acquired U.S. distribution rights to the documentary,[5] and released it on May 2, 2024.[6]
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 41 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's consensus reads, "A transfixing depiction of abject cruelty, The Contestant raises a series of thought-provoking questions about human behavior, even if it leaves most of them largely unexplored."[7] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 71 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Pond, Steve (8 September 2023). "'The Contestant' Review: 1998 Japanese Reality Show Makes for Absurd Entertainment". The Wrap. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ McPherson, Jed (1 February 2020). "The Show Behind The Show". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ Ehrlich, David (8 September 2023). "'The Contestant' Review: A Harrowing Documentary Revisits the Cruelest Reality TV Show Ever Made". IndieWire. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
- ^ Morfoot, Addie (16 September 2023). "'The Contestant' Director Clair Titley on the Fallout From Reality TV: 'We Are All Complicit'". Variety. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (28 November 2023). "'The Contestant': Hulu Acquires Rights To Documentary From MRC, Misfits Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (February 9, 2024). "Hulu Reveals Premiere Dates For 'Under The Bridge', 'The Contestant' & 'Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- ^ "The Contestant". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ "The Contestant". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
