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A2

Name: A2
Director: Tatsuya Mori
Released: 2001
Duration: 131 min

Representation Score

7.5/10

Good

2001

Director

Tatsuya Mori

Runtime

131 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

A2 provides a nuanced long-term study of a underrepresented community facing extreme societal hostility. It excels by challenging binary moralities and exploring the complexities of radicalized beliefs through an empathetic lens. However, the film's scope is limited by its specific ethnographic focus. Emphasis on male leadership and a homogeneous Japanese cast limits its scores for gender and racial diversity. Ultimately, the documentary's strength lies in its moral relativism and its refusal to offer a simplistic, state-endorsed narrative of the Aum Shinrikyo cult.

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Category Breakdown

Does A2 have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not prominently feature LGBTQ+ identities or narratives. There is no evidence of non-straight gender identities or same-sex relationships being central to the story.

How does A2 portray gender?

Fair

The story emphasizes male leadership, particularly Hiroshi Araki. Women are present but the overall structure reinforces traditional male-dominated hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is A2?

Fair

The subjects are ethnically uniform, focusing on a specific Japanese socio-religious phenomenon. The film does not explore multi-layered racial dynamics or multicultural themes.

How does A2 represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film challenges conventional morality by portraying followers as victims of societal rejection and isolation. It critiques mainstream Japanese society's condemnation and the alienation of individuals.

Does A2 include disability representation?

Fair

The film avoids typical physical disability clichés, focusing instead on the psychological and emotional impacts of radicalization. It depicts the mental resilience of those involved.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional moral hierarchies and binary views of right and wrong.
Provides a deep look at the psychological impacts of radicalization and social trauma.
Offers a sophisticated critique of mainstream social cohesion and nationalism.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight narratives.
Reinforces patriarchal hierarchies by emphasizing male leadership and spokespeople.
Maintains an ethnically homogeneous cast due to its specific domestic focus.

Official Synopsis

A2 is a continuation of director Tatsuya Mori's film A (1998), an incredible view inside the compound of Japan's Aum Shinrikyo cult after its leaders carried out the deadly sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subway in 1995. Most followers had no idea that the attacks were being planned, or even that their new religion had violent aspirations. After the attacks, these followers were left to rebuild the religion where they had once found peace in the face of overwhelming, and understandable, condemnation from the rest of Japan. Central focus is placed on Hiroshi Araki, a young man who finds himself elevated to chief spokesman for Aum after its leaders are arrested. Araki faces extreme hostility from the Japanese public, who find it hard to believe that most followers of the cult had no idea of the attacks and even harder to understand why these followers remain devoted to the religion, if not the violence.

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