A man finds himself trapped in an immaculate underground passage with no apparent exit. The rules seem simple: observe everything, turn back whenever something has changed and reach Exit 8. But as the same corridor repeats, familiar details become increasingly difficult to trust. Based on the cult Japanese video game, Genki Kawamura's EXIT 8 turns its minimalist premise into a psychological horror story. Kazunari Ninomiya plays the nameless protagonist, whose attempts to escape gradually take on a more personal dimension, while shifting perspectives blur the boundary between watching a game and being trapped inside one. EXIT 8 premiered in Midnight Screenings at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Through repetition, subtle anomalies and mounting unease, Kawamura transforms an ordinary commuter space into a disorienting maze where observation is the key to survival.
Keywords
- Film Fest Gent
- Film Fest Gent !
- suspense
Actors
- Kazunari Ninomiya
- Yamato Kochi
- Naru Asanuma
- Kotone Hanase
- Hirota Otsuka
Director
- Genki Kawamura
Horror, Thriller
1h 35min
JAPANESE
DUTCH
FRENCH
EXIT 8 turns a subway loop into existential horror, where video-game logic, commuter anxiety and fatherhood collide in modern dread and unease.
EXIT 8 turns a subway loop into existential horror, where video-game logic, commuter anxiety and fatherhood collide in modern dread and unease.
A man finds himself trapped in an immaculate underground passage with no apparent exit. The rules seem simple: observe everything, turn back whenever something has changed and reach Exit 8. But as the same corridor repeats, familiar details become increasingly difficult to trust.
Based on the cult Japanese video game, Genki Kawamura's EXIT 8 turns its minimalist premise into a psychological horror story. Kazunari Ninomiya plays the nameless protagonist, whose attempts to escape gradually take on a more personal dimension, while shifting perspectives blur the boundary between watching a game and being trapped inside one.
EXIT 8 premiered in Midnight Screenings at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Through repetition, subtle anomalies and mounting unease, Kawamura transforms an ordinary commuter space into a disorienting maze where observation is the key to survival.
Festivals
Cast & Crew
Director
Genki Kawamura
Cast
Kazunari Ninomiya
Cast
Yamato Kochi
Cast
Naru Asanuma
Cast
Kotone Hanase
Cast
Hirota Otsuka