Spoilers: Yukihiko Tsutsumi's "2LDK" (Japanese jargon/abbreviation for a 2 Bed Room Apartment with a Living and Dining Room, plus Kitchen) is a surprisingly effective thriller that recalls Barbet Schroeder's 1992 "Single White Female". At just 70 minutes, 2LDK doesn't have much time to spend on telling a complicated story but what it does accomplish is telling a relatively simple yet tightly woven story about the growing rivalry between two young roommates. Nozomi (Koike Eiko) is the somewhat shy country girl from Sada Island where she was heralded as a young phenom in theatre. Unfortunately after moving to Tokyo, she has yet to be recognized for her talents and has had to settle for being just a pinup and magazine model. Her roommate is the beautiful Lana (Nonami Maho), also an aspiring actress who among her many accomplishments have been winning various beauty pageants and contests. While she looks every bit the star, she has been mostly typecast as assorted bimbos in a variety of B-films like "Yakuza Women" and "Female Convict Scorpion '92". This coupled with her willingness to sleep with others to get ahead has given her the unflattering reputation of being an untalented slut. During the course of the film, their friendly rivalry turns deadly as they find that not only are they in competition for the same starring movie role but that they are also both dating the same guy. The escalation of hostilities climaxes in a veritable "Battle Royale" between the two girls as they use everything at their apartment's disposal to try to kill each other (knives, swords, electrical appliances, toilet covers, food). The "duel" ends in a somewhat comical yet bloody fashion and the ending irony is a bit melodramatic. None-the-less, "2LDK" is a well-crafted and relatively good short feature. As other reviewers here have mentioned, "2LDK" was a companion piece with Ryuhei Kitamura's "Aragami" under the "Duel Project" title. You'll never see your roommate in the same light again
