You’ve got to hand it to Ryuya Suzuki, the mastermind behind the film JINSEI. For eighteen months, the guy painstakingly wrote, drew, directed, edited, and scored the entirety of this 93-minute movie. Produced by Kenji Iwaisawa, who applied the same approach to his award-winning film On-Gaku: Our Sound, JINSEI takes a minimalist approach to presenting a life that’s layered with much triumph and tragedy.

The main protagonist of JINSEI (played by rapper ACE COOL) goes by many names. From “Se-chan” and “Kuro” to “you” and even “god”, viewers are given the chance to look through the lens of a guy who has seen it all and done it all. Right at the start, the hero is seen losing almost everything, only for him to gain a friend and a golden ticket to the world of boy bands and idols. But Suzuki doesn’t give the audience a simple cut-and-dry narrative; he takes them on a wild journey.

It’s not easy to sum up everything that happens in JINSEI. However, just like last year’s runaway hit Kokuho, you won’t know what to expect this film to throw at you. When it goes for a hard left turn with its story, it’s incredibly jarring, to the point where it feels like a narrative whiplash! When the hero speaks (which is barely at all), it’s a wake-up call directed at the concepts of fate and destiny.

At times, the hero appears to fight against his own narrative. The world is constantly telling him that he’s destined for greatness, and in his words and actions, he looks them dead in the eye and utters, “No thanks.” Granted, it gets him in trouble constantly, with one moment involving an obsessed idol fan leaving him for dead and covered in piss and feces. Be that as it may, one has to admire the hero’s gumption to keep staying alive and walking his own strange path.

Of course, it’s hard not to talk about this film without its choice in visual style. Looking like an early 2000s Flash animation, JINSEI goes about a minimalistic way to showcase the complexities of the hero’s life. At times, it can be comical watching an idol group barely move or a vehicle driving about without its wheels turning. So when a moment of true beauty happens, it’s hard not to get wide-eyed at the spectacle onscreen.

I’ll fully admit that JINSEI isn’t a movie for everyone. In fact, as I watched it, I imagined this would be the kind of thing I’d see as part of a museum exhibition, with the scenes projected all around a massive room. However, this is the kind of film that will linger in your brain for years to come, as one ponders over the meaning of life and how much it’s worth. JINSEI may not present life in a glorious fashion, but that’s kind of the point. So when a moment of beauty does happen, no doubt your reaction will be one of true satisfaction.

Promotional consideration provided by Zarahi Alcantar of 42West. In theaters June 12th!