With a backdrop of violence and gangs, the friendship that writer and director Ken Ninomaya creates is one of hope and honesty. Punctuated perfectly by rock music throughout, and with violence that never errs on the side of unnecessary, Slum-Polis is intelligently told. The film’s look is a beautiful one, only adding to the heartache of following a group of people struggling to live their lives to the full.

Managing to switch between violence and the development of friendships is no mean feat, but it never feels cheap or without justification, a true mark of good storytelling.

In a setting where violence is the ultimate form of power, art is used to fight back, as Ninomaya explores the beauty found in friendships formed in the darkest of times.

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Horyu Nishimura, Hidenobu Abera, Ryoko Ono

DIRECTOR: Ken Ninomaya

WRITER: Ken Ninomaya

SYNOPSIS: In future Japan, the city of Slum-Polis houses disorder and anarchy. But within this we find three friends, Joe, Asu and Anna, come together through unlikely circumstances, united by their hope for something better.