The Contestant

What’s it about?

This documentary retells the story of aspiring comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu, better known as Nasubi, who lived alone in a small room for a Japanese reality show for 15 months, completely unaware everything was being broadcast to millions of people each week.

The facts 

• Directed by Clair Titley
• Japanese and English language with subtitles
• Runtime: 90 minutes

Why did it get this rating? 

This documentary was self-rated by Disney+. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Cruelty and content that may disturb

A man is confined to a small room for a reality TV show and is shown deteriorating both mentally and physically over an extended period. Some of the more disturbing elements include:

• He can only eat what he wins from competitions which leads him to consume dog food
• He is blindfolded on multiple occasions and moved to a new location without any explanation
• The only interactions are with film crew and the man describes extreme loneliness
• He is told to strip naked at each new location

The contestant is led to believe the competition has ended but is then flown to Korea and advised the competition is continuing.

In front of a live studio audience the contestant is tricked into removing his clothes and it is revealed to him for the first time he was part of a weekly show that was watched by millions.

The contestant discusses the aftermath of the experience and how difficult he found human interactions after being isolated for over a year.

There are brief mentions of earthquakes in Japan and Nepal with video clips shown of the events.

Suicide and bullying themes

Suicide and bullying are discussed in the documentary:

• A man talks about wanting to die and feeling despair
• A man talks about killing himself as the only way to escape the situation
• A man talks about being bullied as a child and how he got the nickname “eggplant”

Nudity

One male is shown naked throughout the documentary, frontal shots are censored with an eggplant emoji or a cushion however his nude bottom is uncensored.

Helplines:

The cruelty shown and brief discussions of bullying and suicide could be upsetting for some viewers. If you are struggling with what you have seen on screen, please reach out for help. If you or someone you know needs to talk:

• 1737
• Lifeline

Further information 

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• 'The Contestant' Review: Documentary on Vintage Japanese Reality Show (variety.com)