gas explosion in apartmen short film - name?

June 26, 2008 5:46 AM

Trying to find a Japanese short film "Tension" that I saw at the Rotterdam Film Festival 1999 or 2000.

I saw this film at the Pathé Schouwburgplein either 1999 or 2000. The director was there and ready to answer questions after the screening.

The story: in a grey apartment block, inside a cramped apartment someone leaves the gas on while cooking. Each family member is doing something that theoretically could spark the gas to explode - sister is blow drying her hair, little brother is playing with a toy that sparks, someone is lighting matches - etcetera and so on. Tension builds, the edits get faster, matches are lit (gas does not explode), toy guns are shot (gas does not explode) and all sorts of other things go on until finally, the whole apartment blows up in the most amazing slow-mo explosion you've ever seen (and as I recall set off by an item you didn't suspect would be the one to set it off). We even get a nice shot from outside the apartment building watching the whole floor go kabloom.

Now, I can't for the life of me find out what this film is called or who directed it. Ring any bells?

posted by dabitch to media & arts (3 comments total)

I went to the "International Film Festival Rotterdam" website and did a search on "tension" and couldn't find a Japanese short...

http://www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com/ned/search.aspx#films

I checked IMDB and rotten tomatoes and nothing there either...

Let us know if you figure it out! It sounds awesome and what's really killing me is how familiar the entire story line sounds...
posted by albatross5000 at 8:54 AM on June 26

Trying to find a Japanese short film "Tension"

I can't for the life of me find out what this film is called

I'm confused. Is Tension the name of the film?
posted by iconomy at 12:33 PM on June 26

Hey all, thanks for suggestion - no "Tension" is my made up name of the film - I don't know the name, nor the director that's the problem. All I remember is that it was shown at Pathé Schouwburgplein either Rotterdam International Film Festival 1999 or 2000 (can't even remember the year) and that the director was there to answer questions afterward.

oh, and that the short film was fantastic. :)
posted by dabitch at 12:21 AM on June 27