Has anyone seen this movie. It was billed to be another Battle Royale. I've seen Battle Royale and enjoyed it. I came across this title and was wondering if this is just another knockoff. Below is a synopsis taken here

Forty five teenage girls suddenly commit suicide. The police is at a loss: is this a case for them? And what does the smash hit pop band Desert have to do with it? Can also be seen as a portrait of Japan in crisis.

Japan, 2001. The popularity of the music band Desert electrifies young people all over the country. One day, 54 secondary schoolgirls commit suicide in Tokyo by throwing themselves in front of a train at Shinjuku station. This seems to start a whole series of suicides in Tokyo. The police investigates the case, but have nothing to go on: could it all be coincidence? Then a young lady calls the police and points out a web site that could be the key to all the incidents. In addition, a mysterious child rings up detective Kuroda personally and says that another wave of suicides is imminent. Then something happens that no one had counted on... Sono Sion: 'The number of people who commit suicide in Japan is increasing exponentially. It may reflect social conditions: unemployment is rising, the future for students is looking less and less hopeful. In addition, the Japanese are increasingly losing their identity, their social bonds and their tight family structure. Love and friendship are as fragile as glass, people lose their lust for life and happiness. I don't think it makes much difference to them whether they live or die. This film wants to examine this social phenomenon honestly and without prejudice.'

Moving to Movie Talk.

I haven't but it looks interesting.

This was at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema last year but I missed it.

Bumping a really old thread.

I saw this last night, and man, what a weird movie. I was hoping a search might provide a few answers. If anyone else has seen this, do you think there was a purpose to the ever-changing spelling of "Desert"?

I remember reading that the creators of the movie weren't sure how it should be spelled, but it changes back and forth throughout the movie. I find it hard to believe that they couldn't figure out how it was spelled. I thought the movie overall was a let down it was built up so much in the first half but it just kind of fell apart in the 2nd act. I still enjoyed the movie but I would say it was another Battle Royale.

I agree with you in that the filmmakers try to make the ending all vague and slightly pretentious and as a result it just makes you scratch your head. Flawed but worth renting.

It's definatly not a knock-off of Battle Royale.

A weird messin with your head Asian flick along the lines of Uzumaki. If Lynch was to start making Asian films, this would be one of them.

Interesting, but not nearly as good as Battle Royale.

It's a good flick. The opening scene is insane. Plus you can rent it through Netflix instead of blind buying.

Ugh, this shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence with Battle Royale. It just seemed to want to up the ante on shock value. Pfftt. I did like the shots of brains on the building ledge.