The Contestant (2023)

Directed by

Clair Titley

Genre

documentary film

Country

United Kingdom, United States

Runtime

1h 30m

Rated

R

Rating

6.9 of 10 from 59 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary follows Tomoaki Hamatsu, known as Nasubi, as he participated in a bizarre Japanese reality TV challenge in the late 1990s. It shows his experience being isolated and filmed for months without his knowledge. The film also covers his life after the show made him famous.

disturbingexploitativebizarreunsettlingintimateeye-openingreflectiveclaustrophobic

What happens

The Contestant is a 2023 British documentary film directed by Clair Titley. It tells the story of Tomoaki Hamatsu, better known as Nasubi (なすび, "Eggplant"), as he starred in the challenge, starting in 1998, of Denpa Shōnen teki Kenshō Seikatsu (電波少年的懸賞生活; lit. "Denpa Shōnen's Prize Life") on the Japanese reality TV show Susunu! Denpa Shōnen (進ぬ！電波少年 "Do not proceed! Crazy youth"), and also some of his subsequent life as a famous person. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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