Battle Royale

Getting problems with censorship in Japan takes some effort. Battle Royale has succeeded in this feat, and the scandal even made such a big splash that the release of the film was recently debated in the Japanese parliament. No surprise, since Battle Royale depicts a comparatively gloomy picture of the near future of Japan. A now totalitarian government is not only struggling with an unemployment rate of 15 percent, the escalating violence in schools is a real thorn in its side. In order to set an example, a school class is drawn by lot once a year and shipped to an island. Each pupil is given a collar with an integrated explosive device and a weapon in his hand. Then they all have three days to kill each other; if more than one person is still alive after this time, the explosives will be triggered on all collars.