An unexpected but enjoyable experience.

A unique and distinct story is told by this film. When I started it, I was not aware it would be horror, but these aspects were handled well. If you’re looking for an unguessable but well told story with horror, mystery, and supernatural elements, this may be a good watch for you.

The visual effects were impressively well done, and the sound design very atmospheric and immersive (pun not intended) to complement the well constructed visuals. Overall I’d say the film was very well thought out and as an experience I’d rate it highly. The shots and transitions were also crafted well to fit the pacing and changes that needed to be matched.

Personally, I wouldn’t say I was highly invested in the film character wise, if you’re looking for a character driven experience, probably not the film for you.

What I enjoyed:
- The unique premise involving a VR world modelled to be identical to the real world
- The immersive visual and sound design
- The incorporation of some cultural elements that intertwine with the supernatural elements
- The overall unreadable mystery

What I didn’t enjoy:
- No real feeling of connection or investment with any of the characters
- It wasn’t really a film I would have picked out; I was a captive audience and it was what was available to me

If you’re looking to watch it, good luck to you! I don’t know when it will be widely available and only watched as I had a very long flight with nothing else to be doing.

Leia Mais

A sensitive and emotional journey.

Yes, my rating may be high, but I don’t think undeservedly so.

It’s hard to know where to start for this review, the film’s cinematography is stunning, attention to detail is just-so, while the characters are realistic and truly embodied by their actors. The soundtrack matched perfectly the events onscreen. When I left the cinema, walking home quietly at night, life felt beautiful. That is the feeling this film left me with.

I also loved the creative decisions made in storytelling, which added major depth and impact to scenes that may have stood out less otherwise. I love the film in a quiet and reflective sense; it doesn’t rush to throw so many things at the viewer at once (with the possible exception of subtitles, being a bilingual film). In that sense the film is much like a journey you go on together with the leads.

The attention to detail with language was not lost on me, as the characters knew each other longer, their language abilities noticeably grew and improved, which may seem small but is of major importance.

I have, at most, one critique for the film; which would relate to it being a bit cliché with one element, but this didn’t take away from my viewing experience, nor that of the friend next to me who didn’t notice it.

If you can watch this in cinemas I absolutely recommend doing so; albeit if you aren’t relatively fluent and literate in Mandarin or Japanese, it may be linguistically tricky. If you’re looking at this sometime in the future and debating if it’s worth your time, please give it a go!

Leia Mais

A creatively thrilling ride.

I will keep this review spoiler-free. I saw this in the cinema today and it was not what I would have guessed in any way (nor did it resemble the works some commenters have mentioned).

All the way through this film had me fully engaged. It didn’t rely on any cheap jumpscares or implausible elements that would lead to plotholes or break immersion; if anything, what’s scary is the plausibility. There was some serious attention to detail from the cast and creators, which lead to me well and truly enjoying the experience.

The actors all nailed their parts, the soundtrack was unobtrusive but used perfectly when it had its moment (a hard feeling to describe but that moment was perfect). I was left with two small questions that would likely be answered by being better at Japanese, however I can also say I was left deeply satisfied with what I watched.

A little point of caution is that this film is graphic - the murder cases aren’t glossed over and there’s injury detail.

Leia Mais

That happened.

This film is a rather twisted tail, and in short I will say that if the trailer catches your eye, it is probably right for you.

If you’re looking for something dark with lots of tense - at times unbearably so - moments, dive right on in. I’d joke about there being something for every kind of thriller/mystery enjoyer - a tense criminal investigation, the darker side of humanity, forbidden connections being made, untellable desperation.

I have mixed feelings about some aspects upon reflection, however these are possibly gripes to do with target audience not including me. I’d put this down as noir and it was certainly reflected by the cinema audience; that being a handful of senior citizens (predominantly men), a young couple that left halfway through, and myself.

What is done well? Acting, casting, cinematography, visual and sound design. The acting in particular was immaculate, regardless of taste in what was being acted out.

What didn’t sit so well with me? Mainly the meekness of the female lead, which, it later became clear to me was the draw for the target audience. There was indulgence of the male fantasy that may alienate some, as it somewhat did me.

The nitty-gritty with me and the female lead was the obvious choices made about how she used her voice. The deliberately high pitch, soft breathy tone, combined with a stature I might describe as frail in my own bias, did not sit well with me. Most women are not like this, in Japan or otherwise, and it in some ways drew a line that separated the film from plausible reality. I’m not demanding all female characters be strong in stature or have deep voices, I’d just say such an intense portrayal of these typically “appealing” to some, delicate feminine traits, is not really for me. [Again, quite possibly a target audience issue.] Although I will also at this point take time to mention that the other female characters do not embody these same characteristics, which helps. I very much liked the journalist character and all of her onscreen moments.

Nonetheless, I did very much enjoy the film and the setting (in rural Japan, using dialect) gave it a more distinct flavour that allows it to stand out positively within the thriller/noir genre. It also made aspects of the story more plausible because of being removed from the interconnected network of the city.

[Watched at opening weekend.]

Leia Mais