Watching the paint dry in Rhythm

Is it worth your time?

If you like movies that feel like a long, slow Sunday afternoon where absolutely nothing happens, you might dig Rhythm. If you need a plot that actually moves, or characters who talk like real humans, you will probably want to throw your remote through the screen. It is definitely not for everyone.

Shigeji Ogino is on screen for what feels like a lifetime. He has this way of staring into space that makes you wonder if he’s thinking about the deep mysteries of the universe or just trying to remember if he left the stove on. Honestly, I couldn't tell.

There is a specific scene about twenty minutes in where he is just folding laundry. It goes on for so long that I started counting the shirts. I think there were twelve. Why twelve? The camera doesn't blink, and neither do I.

It reminds me a bit of the weird, lingering discomfort you find in The Student of Prague, though without the gothic flair, obviously. This is all gray skies and quiet hallways. It is very dry. Like, desert dry.

Odd little moments

• The sound design is mostly just wind and the occasional creaky floorboard. It’s effective, but it makes me want to check my own apartment for drafts.
• There is a shot of a cat that stays on screen for at least forty-five seconds. The cat does nothing. It is the most honest performance in the whole movie.
• The lighting shifts randomly, like the sun was just giving up halfway through the day.

The film doesn't really build to anything. It just stops. It reminded me of the feeling I got watching Out of the Fog, where you expect a big reveal that never really lands. Maybe that's the point? Maybe it's just about existing.

I found myself checking my watch every five minutes, but I couldn't look away. It’s like a car crash in slow motion, except the car is just a man sitting on a chair. It’s weirdly hypnotic.

If you are looking for excitement, go watch something else. But if you want to sit in a room and feel like someone else is sitting in their room, this is it. It’s not profound. It’s just... there. 🎞️