#Manhole: NZIFF Review

Playing like a mesh of Searching, Missing and Buried, #Manhole's confined space thriller goes to both logical and illogical extremes.

On the eve of his wedding, Shunsuke (Yuto Nakajima) leaves a surprise bachelor party thrown by workmates to head home. Drunk, he falls down an uncovered manhole, ripping open his leg in the process.

Coming to, he finds freedom is tantalizingly close, but with a broken ladder and busted leg, things aren't as easy as they may seem.

A race against time and desperation, #Manhole's mix of well-acted confinement and clever twists make this the kind of film that works as a fairground ride, best experienced without foreknowledge.

In Yuto Nakajima's performance, the boy band star makes for a steady sturdy performance that doesn't overplay the situation but works more than capably as the plot unspools. 

Threats to his existence seem both plausible and palpable before the rug is ripped from audiences toward the end. An embrace of smartphone technology rather than a convenient loss of signal gives this one a dose of reality that's compelling throughout.

Humor helps throughout and with an engaging lead, #manhole makes for a pure cinema romp - a one time experience that ultimately won't hold up to repeated scrutiny or perhaps viewings, but proves to be a perfect audience crowdpleaser for those looking for a mix of WTF and plausible drama.