The Contestant (2023 film)

The Contestant is a 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 a 1998 Japanese reality TV show.

Cast

 * Tomoaki Hamatsu as himself
 * Toshio Tsuchiya as himself, a producer of Susunu! Denpa Shōnen, the show on which Hamatsu's segment aired
 * Fred Armisen as the narrator

Premise
Hamatsu was challenged to stay alone, unclothed, in an apartment for Susunu! Denpa Shōnen, a Japanese reality-television show on Nippon Television. He was challenged to enter mail-in sweepstakes until he won ¥1 million (about $8,000) in total. He started with nothing (including no clothes), was cut off from outside communication and broadcasting, and had nothing to keep him company except the magazines he combed through for sweepstakes entry forms.

During the show, his diaries on his experience of being locked away from the outside world became a best seller in Japan, and the TV show broke all records with 17 million viewers each Sunday night.

Release
The Contestant had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. It also screened at the Camden International Film Festival. In November 2023, Hulu acquired U.S. distribution rights to the documentary, and released it on May 2, 2024.

Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 39 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's consensus reads, "A transfixing depiction of abject cruelty, The Contestant raises a series of thought-provoking questions about human behavior, even if it leaves most of them largely unexplored." On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 71 out of 100 based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".