TAG

Tag opens in a whirlwind of gorgeously poetic gore sequences, and in a ash, the carefree life of a schoolgirl is gone. She begins a frenzied journey into alternative realities, amply encrypted, full of mayhem and violence, amidst lavish displays of female sensuality. But Sono’s focus on his two winsome characters, Mitsuki and pal Izumi, lends coherence and depth to what otherwise could have been but an entertaining foray into a wacky brand of surrealism. Instead, Tag is a moving testament to our consternation at life’s chaos. Fate’s a feather, says Izumi, no one knows where it will fall. All we can do is trick it by doing the unexpected, which is exactly what happens at the end.