The Day of Destruction (2020)

"Now is the time to rage. If not now, when?"

In 2020 director Toyoda was angry. Very angry. Angry about the pandemic. Angry about the wealthy and politicians. Angry about the Olympics. And especially angry about apathy toward the hell many people were living in. The Day of Destruction fiercely and poetically screamed that rage out.

“Draw your sword now. If not it ain’t rock ‘n' roll.”
Seven years ago, a pulsating globular monster appeared deep in a mine. Since then, a plague of some sort had spread. In 2020 after the epidemic took the life of Kenichi’s sister, he attempted to self-mummify at the Mountain Resurrection-Wolf temple (the same one used in Wolf's Calling) believing his sacrifice would quell the epidemic.

“What defines a human. Prove it now.”
An earthquake set loose Kenichi’s inner rage which turned him into a demon.

“Humans possessed by demons are exorcised by humans, but maybe the exorcists themselves are demons”
Priest Jiro believed that destroying the monster was a fool’s task. Nature gave them the epidemic so the monster must be led onto the right path. Kenichi must be guided onto the right path as well.

“Price tags on lives fluttering in the wind”
The wealthy and elite hid in their fortresses, safe from human misery all while planning on how to make money during the event of the year-the 2020 Olympics.

“Give me your anger. I’ll respect it.” “We have a voice. Your own voice. SHOUT!”
The people cried out their pain and fears. A bloody, red Kenichi fell down on his knees in traffic screaming his grief and outrage.

“Everyone on Earth is a central prayer…We’re all in the same boat called Generation.”
Humans are the problem. Humans are the solution. The division after division after division must be faced. Would prayer or self-sacrifice cause others to change or would the first step be the hardest? Changing oneself. Eradicating the monster might not be possible---healing, and coexisting might be.

“Would self-restraint for 100 years be enough?”
Shot on a small budget in eight days, Toyoda got the most out of the beautiful mountain scenery and the actors. I have to wonder if he received permission for the shots in the streets as ordinary masked passersbys walked around Kenichi as if a man in bloody red clothes shrieking and kneeling in the crosswalk was completely normal. The music and sound effects were not always pleasing but they were fascinating and told much of the story as there was little dialogue.

“Hey, Siri. How much longer do I have to put up with this?”
If we live in hell with demons and people acting like demons, maybe the screaming is necessary to wake ourselves up. Shake off the apathy and change. The Day of Destruction with its loud music and release of pent up fury might have been what we all needed, especially during the first year of the pandemic with people struggling in so many ways and losing people to an invisible monster. This film won’t be for everyone to be sure. It's abstract with lots of religious symbolism and can be confusing at times. For the most part, I enjoyed its poetic and manic response to a nightmare much of the world shared.

23 February 2024

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