I'm not sure when the first time was that I heard about Tomoaki Hamatsu and his remarkable claim to fame, but it was one of those schoolyard rumours that I'd heard people talking about; a man, stripped naked, and surviving off nothing but competition winnings inside a small apartment as part of a Japanese gameshow. I knew little else about it, and having seen some of the extreme things that happen on Japanese television I made some big assumptions about this, namely that Tomoaki had entered into this situation willingly. The new documentary film The Contestant, that charts this dramatic story, reveals a much darker truth, and presents a story that feels more like a horror film than I could have first imagined.
For those not in the know, the Japanese television show Susunu! Denpa Shōnen was looking for a new reality segment for their series. Having become well known for it's reality based challenges and travel segments, but television executive Toshio Tsuchiya came up with a new idea, to see how long it would take someone to reach a goal of ¥1 million in magazine prizes with nothing else to live off. To this end he hosted an audition with a number of people, one of whom was picked for the role. This is how Tomoaki Hamatsu became involved in Life in Prizes. The documentary reveals, however, that Tomoaki did not know that he was going to be on television.
Taken straight from the audition, he was blindfolded and taken to an empty apartment where Tsuchiya ordered him to strip naked. He was told that he needed to win prizes to earn his freedom, and was left alone with a stack of magazines and postcards. Unknown to Tomoaki, his every move was being recorded, and broadcast on Susunu! Denpa Shōnen, becoming the shows most popular segment.
Whilst this situation sounds incredible, it's relayed to viewers here with such mater of fact bluntness that you find yourself shocked and appalled by events. Tsuchiya talks about the idea behind his 'show' as if it's simply some kind of thought exercise and not the very real torture of another human being. He shows little regret or compassion throughout most of the movie, and that coupled with the decreasing health and sanity of Tomoaki, who the show mockingly named Nasubi, meaning Eggplant, because of the shape of his head, makes this a surprisingly chilling experience.
The Contestant charts Tomoaki's journey across 335 days, where he was naked and alone, trying to win his freedom. Whilst he was first given a few crackers each day so that he didn't starve to death, those were soon taken from him and Tomoaki was reduced to eating raw rice and dog food to survive. The film intercuts this footage of Tomoaki with details of the world outside, one where people are tuning in to watch his progress with a sense of glee, where people are laughing at him as he does his best to simply not die. We also hear from his family, who had no idea what had happened to him or where he'd gone, until they saw him naked, starving, and somewhat crazed on their televisions.
It's somewhat amazing to see the two sides of this event, one where the public are being swept up into a fervour, where they see entertainment and comedy in the situation and they don't want it to end because it's part of their Friday night viewing for almost a year. On the flip side, there's a man who's going through some of the worst psychological torture imaginable. It's heart breaking to watch at times. Especially when you find out what comes next.
Having finally reached his goal, Tomoaki is awoken in the middle of the night by Tsuchiya, who gives him his clothes back, now hanging off his thin frame, and takes him on a flight. Tomoaki is taken to Korea, where he's treated to a nice meal, and Tsuchiya buys him a gift. Tomoaki thinks this is part of his prize before he gets to go home, that is until Tsuchiya takes him to another apartment, forces him to strip, and makes him go through it all again; but this time in Korea, where Tomoaki doesn't read the language, so has to learn Korean whilst winning prizes. You might ask why he'd go along with this, why he'd not just leave, but by this point Tomoaki's spirit is completely broken, and you can see it. The footage of Tsuchiya convincing Tomoaki to go through this again is horrifying, because it shows how a man has been so broken and his will destroyed by what is frankly a sadistic and cruel TV executive who doesn't want to lose his cash cow.
Thankfully, Tomoaki's torture couldn't last forever, and he eventually 'won' the show. But as you can imagine, fifteen months of this life had an extreme toll on Tomoaki's life. The documentary takes some tome to go into this, detailing his recovery from his ordeal. Whilst the show made him something of a household name in Japan, with more than 17 million viewers watching him real fame never really came from this. Instead, Tomoaki became a fierce advocate for this home of Fukashima, and would go on to do some incredible things for them. As a result, the film ends on something of a high note (literally), as we see Tomoaki achieve the incredible; but not because of Life in Prizes, in spite of it.
Tomoaki Hamatsu's story is an incredible one, one that is shocking, horrific, sad, and in some ways inspiring too. He's a man who was exploited and abused for entertainment. He was put on television, naked and almost dying, without his knowledge, his diaries he wrote during this time that chronicled his declining mental state were published by the broadcasters and became best sellers. Everything about him became a product for almost a year and a half, he wasn't a man, but a thing to be used. He was worn down and destroyed, but he also came back with a strength that most people would fail to find.
The Contestant is a film that has to be seen to be believed. The story it tells is one of the most shocking in the modern era, one that shows how terrible the entertainment industry can be. But it's also one that will make you think about the things you watch, will make you question how many reality or documentary shows are actually simply just exploiting people, and how they might be appealing to the worst parts of your own nature. People seem quick to forget others humanity, especially if it benefits them. Tomoaki Hamatsu is one of the best examples of this we have.
The Contestant is released in UK cinemas on the 27th November 2024.
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