[Fantasia 2025] FILM REVIEW: Transcending Dimensions

Transcending Dimensions - Fantasia Canadian Premiere Review

Director: Toshiaki Toyoda

Starring: Haruka Imô, Chihara Jr, Yôsuke Kubozuka, Rŷuhei Matsuda

Written by: Toshiaki Toyoda

Produced by: Shinichiro Muraoka, Ryô Yukizane

Cinematography by: Kenji Maki

Synopsis:

After a strange turn of events, a nihilistic hitman, a sadistic sorcerer and a monk must compete in an epic battle against each other.

Thoughts:

When it comes to the majority of mind bending films with complex ideas you can tie yourself up in knots trying to deconstruct them to try and make sense of it all which often can be a pointless exercise. I know it's a bit of a cop out to say this but the best way to enjoy them is to experience them on their terms. Toshiaki Toyoda's latest film is one such case and with a title like 'Transcending Dimensions' it is easy to see why. 

The film focuses on a missing monk called Rosuke (Yôsuke Kubozuka) whose cult group led by sorcerer Hanzo (Chihara Junia) seems to be behind his disappearance. Seeking to find out what happened to her boyfriend, Nonoka (Haruka Imou) hires a hitman Shinno (Ryuhei Matsuda) to take out Hanzo. As he infiltrates this group he embarks on a journey beyond the unknown that centres around a mystical conch shell. 

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Are you with me so far? Well that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to trying to sum up the plot of Toyoda's film as it is an ambitious piece of work that transcends time and space. For all of the genres the film explores the most simplistic way you can describe it as being a Cosmic Noir. One of the first things that you notice about the film is how strong Toyoda is as a visual filmmaker. For a film that travels from earth to the edge of the universe, he exercises restraint in feeling the need to move the camera too much, allowing the striking imagery to speak for itself to hold your attention as it arrests you in its trance like nature. Even with the slow burn pace there are times in which you can't take your gaze away from the screen, especially during its quieter moments. 

Outside of this though, the narrative is quite unruly as more layers are added to the plot as the film progresses which muddies the waters somewhat. What starts as a fairly simple noirish mystery quickly crosses so many other genres exploring ideas like science versus spirituality that it loses focus leaving no center to it.

There are also issues around the characters in the film as they feel underdeveloped leaving the audience with no real emotional connection to any of them. It is as if Toyoda favours his ideas over his characters as he is attempting to go beyond human emotion towards something more philosophical. The closest we get to anything like this comes from short flashback scenes involving Rosuke conversing with Nonoka but these aren't enough to give the film any sense of a beating heart. 

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In terms of the cast, the one character that stands out amongst the rest is the sadistic sorcerer/cult leader Hanzo. In the role, Chihara Junia is magnetic anytime he is on screen with his piercing eyes but there is something so charismatically evil in his smile that makes his performance so enthralling. It may verge on being too cartoonish for some but to me it is the most entertaining aspect of the film. The rest of the cast fit their respective roles quite well despite not having much to do with their characters but it is certain that they are committed to Toyoda's vision for the film. 

There is a lot to admire about 'Transcending Dimensions' as it takes a lot of big swings but in trying to do so in a relatively short run time it feels overly condensed. Its biggest strengths lie in its arresting (and at times) kaleidoscopic imagery which hooks the audience but in these ambitions it becomes lost thanks to a script that lacks focus on narrative and character.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

-Joseph McElroy

'Transcending Dimensions' received its Canadian Premiere at Fantasia '25 on July 24th