Box was a 1982 short film by Ito Takashi. Unlike other shorts by this director that I’ve seen, this one appeared to just be a dizzying experimental film. Ito used various scenes on a cube and then rotated them ninety degrees filming frame by frame causing it to appear to spin. He used different filters and techniques with a disorienting music background. Without any story, however thin, this came across as a “Look at what I can do!” film. While cool to look at for a couple of minutes, eight minutes of a flashing turning cube with screeching music in the background began to wear on my nerves, brain, and eyesight. He might have been having fun but it began to make me want to lash out irrationally. Ito’s works are open to interpretation due to his style. If you’ve ever watched Chuck (2007-2012), you’ll understand when I say it felt like I’d had the Intersect downloaded into my brain…with the accompanying headache.
25 September 2026
Trigger warning: If you are sensitive to flashing lights and lots of erratic movements you might want to avoid this film.