Noriko's Dinner Table (Noriko no shokutaku) (NR)

synopsis

"Noriko's Dinner Table" is the semi-sequel to "Suicide Club" (Jisatsu Saakuru), a suspense classic concerning a mass suicide of 54 schoolgirls involved in a disturbing cult. Leaving behind its predecessor's horror film structure for a more personal dramatic approach, "Noriko" shows us the same world, connected by the events surrounding the suicide circle and the mysterious cult website haikyo.com, but from a more interior perspective--and presents us with enigmas even more seductively intriguing. Seventeen-year-old Noriko Shimabara, who is now a runaway in Tokyo, gets involved with Kumiko, a friend from the haikyo.com, right before the fabled suicides that initiate the first film. Far from a conventional narrative, however, Sono poses trippy, philosophical questions about the nature of reality, identity, and technology as Noriko struggles with questions about her role in an increasingly alienated society.