Name: New documentary explores real-life "Truman Show" in Japan
Uploaded: 2024-06-11T04:32:32.000Z
Duration: 8 min 29 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

I salute the audio close up on his torso.

Basic passive voice

That was a scene from 1998 the Truman show Jim Carrey played Truman, a man who learns his entire life from the time he was born has been the subject of a reality TV show watched by millions of people.

But before that film hit theaters a real life Truman show was already taking place across the globe in Japan.

Except instead of Truman there was not to be a 22 year-old aspiring comedian who found himself an unwitting participant on a twisted reality show.

It's the subject of a new documentary on Hulu called the contestant.

Years before survivor and naked and afraid.

The series tested the limits of contestants like to Mikey him out to nickname not to be.

In 1998 the comedian won an audition for a new segment called a life in prizes.

Dropped into an empty apartment, no bed, no TV and then stripped naked.

His objective when essentials like food even toilet paper through mail and sweepstakes.

Unbeknownst to him the show was broadcast weekly across Japan to more than 15 million viewers.

Well, I never thought that I was a contestant.

It's all the subject of the new film, the contestant you can understand me correct a little bit.

We spoke to a now 48 year-old not to be through an interpreter.

At the Barrymore film center in Fort Lee, New Jersey, just a little bit.

I watched a little bit of it at first, but it brought back all kinds of painful memories so I couldn't watch all of it.

Memories of his 15 months in isolation about that first day inside that room.

What were you thinking so can show this a couple of the producers didn't give me any detailed explanations so I was very concerned and confused about how I was going to survive in this space.

They said that he needed to win everything he needs to survive through magazine competitions, the kind of make the competitions you have in the backs of magazines in the in the late 90's.

British filmmaker Claire Titley launched the project there was a pile of magazines in the corner and a phone and a pile of postcards my head is full of thoughts of food.

It doesn't matter what but please let me win something.

And I think the other key thing that makes this particular experiments unique to almost all other reality TV shows is that he was on his own.

He was all by himself now he had a telephone and they said if there's an emergency you can call us but don't call us for anything else.

In order to win the game and his freedom not to be had to earn a million yen worth of sweepstakes prizes, the equivalent of 8,000 in U.S.

How about you look on the however I definitely understood that if I didn't write these postcards I wouldn't be able to he wrote 300 sweepstakes entries a day still it took him 3 weeks to win his first prize.

Producers venom crackers to prevent starvation what day.

Where you like what have I got myself into the most high show no to at first I was excited and I was thinking about all kinds of things like how to do something funny in this space.

After about a week I began to worry about whether I could really continue this on my own, but the hardest part was definitely the loneliness all come by loneliness you kill I couldn't quite overcome that feeling.

What this producer and all the people who work for him did to this poor guy.

Film and media critic Matt singer writes for the movie website screen crush dot com you watch his body sort of deteriorating before your eyes you can only eat what he wins which includes like dog food, I'm certainly worried about him as I'm watching the film.

Most surprising showrunner in Japanese uber producer Toshio sushi a agreed to be interviewed for the documentary.

If you didn't want to show me you know, I don't know what's going on in the car.

Come at least just know you have a little bit of a little little little little.

Would you categorize his situation is being lied to misrepresented yes, yes, yes, he was definitely all of those things particularly misrepresented all the audience saw was the kind of edited down highlights to make it look funny they didn't show all the bits of him looking sad all doing kind of mundane things all you know basically make it alone in a room.

Did they cross a moral line and ethical line.

I can't think of a line they didn't cross from that regard, I mean certainly when you say that you're going to stick a guy in a room and not tell him that you're going to be airing this humiliating footage day after day after day to me that that kind of crosses a line.

Yes, an emotional mind game when realizing not to be his door was unlocked the whole time why don't you just open the door.

I thought about running away so many times but there was also the fact that I was naked.

So if I ran outside, I might get arrested by the police.

But not to be stuck it out one year and 3 months until the series finale when producers unveiled him.

Make it in front of a live studio audience.

All the Japanese people that I've spoken to watched at the time we're not aware that NASA be was not aware that he was being ad on television and that's quite a key thing.

In the 25 years since not to be has worked through his demons.

Of course there was a part of me that was deeply traumatized and that left a big hole in my heart.

But after some time has passed this experience has become very useful to me and it has become a great strength that has guided me to the next step.

That next step included using his fame to help others including the victims of the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami.

But I couldn't let NASA be go without asking about that fictionalized version of himself.

I happen to watch it after I wrapped up the sweepstakes life.

I think I'm the only person who can understand his emotions.

I think Truman got off way easier than you did.

And the fact that he can laugh says so much about like his recovery his ability to move beyond that point, but I mean I was still puzzled by someone who could allow themselves to be question that a lot of people come out asking just it seemed really cool and gross and like I just got the whole time I was watching Mike.

Really really and so many so many questions like you said that we don't have time for but it is amazing amazing that he's OK now and it's come to terms with it.

 Yes, he's even climb Mount Everest 3 times as a part of my mission to help folks in on the food by the way, yeah for him.