Former detective, Takakura, now works as a Professor of criminal psychology at a university. An ex-colleague requests his assistance on an unsolved six-year old case involving a missing family. Meanwhile, Takakura and his wife Yasuko move into a new neighborhood. One of their neighbors, Nishino, has a sick wife and a young daughter, Mio. While on one hand Takakura is solving the missing family case, events in his neighborhood get “creepy”. Things go berserk after Mio reveals to Takakura a secret about her family. As the past and present collide, Takakura is not just solving a case anymore.
Language:
Japanese
Running Time:
130 min
Rating:
–
Release date:
15 February 2016
Directed by:
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Produced by:
Hiroshi Fukasawa
Setsuko Sumida
Satoshi Akagi
Satoko Ishida
Written by:
Chihiro Ikeda
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Yutaka Maekawa
Starring:
Hidetoshi Nishijima
Yuko Takeuchi
Haruna Kawaguchi
Masahiro Higashide
Teruyuki Kagawa
Ryoko Fujino
Masahiro Toda
Music by:
Yuri Habuka
Shot by:
Akiko Ashizawa
Editing by:
Koichi Takahashi
Distributed by:
Shochiku Co., Ltd

What’s Hot

  • The script, based on the 2012 novel by Yutaka Maekawa, is absolutely gripping. The setting, unfolding of the story and the climax are worthy of a thriller. In spite of the few gory scenes, typical of such a plot, the movie shines in its ability to keep the audience engaged till the end.
  • Cinematography is worthy of a film festival feature. Right from the opening scene, to the bird’s eye shot when Takakura visits Hino neighborhood, to the long shot that reveals the eerie relationship between the past & present; the work behind the lens supports (at times even enhances) the story telling. The D.O.P., Akiko Ashizawa deserves a special mention.
  • Kiyoshi Kurosawa dons the mantle exceedingly well, his penchant & experience in the thriller genre shows in the output. In a gloomy movie overall, the director shines in the intelligent placement of humor that lightens the mood, albeit temporarily. Kurosawa successfully brings out the character sketches of every central artist. The scriptwriting, presence/ absence of characters in the movie, choice of locations are all praise-worthy and speak volumes about the director’s strength in this genre.
  • All the supporting actors such as Hidetoshi Nishijima, Yuko Takeuchi, Teruyuki Kagawa, Haruna Kawaguchi and Masahiro Higashide shine in their respective roles. Nishijima and Kagawa are comparatively more central to the plot, and deliver powerful performances.
  • Yuri Habuka’s background score effectively captures the mood of the story, and along with the sound department (ably handled by Mikisuke Shimadzu) provide the needed auditory support to deliver the complete impact of the visual medium.

What’s Not

  • The script does get slightly convoluted towards the final moments in the movie. The ending of at least one character in the script seems unnecessary. The climax scene is a sudden and forced shift with little explanation for the change. This is typical in a book adaptation, since a book provides greater scope for build-up whereas in the visual medium, build up becomes predictable for the viewer.

Badges

Cinematography
Screenplay
Direction

Screened at

BerlinFilmFestival-Logo

66th Berlin International Film Festival

The 66th annual Berlin International Film Festival is currently being held from 11 February to 21 February 2016 at Berlin, Germany. This movie was screened in the programme 'Berlinale Special' of the 66th Berlinale. Under the auspices of the Berlinale Special, the festival shows new and extraordinary productions and honors great cinema personalities by showing their films in this category.

Event Info

Read More

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

An engaging suspense thriller, with its typical twists and turns, embellished by strong performances and supported by brilliant camerawork. Creepy will definitely give you the creeps.