Recently divorced "Hidemi Harada" (Morio Kazama) has only now begun to realize how utterly selfish he has been and is regretting the fact that he has been such a bad husband and father. With that in mind he decides to revisit the small hometown where he grew up to perhaps relive a part of his life. However, upon doing this he happens to see a man that resembles his deceased father. More incredibly the man invites him to his house and introduces him to a woman who resembles his deceased mother. To his further shock he learns that they are indeed his deceased parents and act like nothing has changed since he last saw them before their fatal accident over 28 years ago. But that's not all! However, rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was an interesting Japanese horror film which is light on action but deep in meaning. I especially liked the performances of Kumiko Akiyoshi (as Hidemi's mother "Fusaka Harada") and Yuko Natori ("Kei") who both played their parts quite well. In any case, if a person is looking for plenty of gore or action they won't find it here but even so it's still an interesting movie which I enjoyed and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.
Keywords: ice cream
Plot summary
Harada is a successful scenario writer, and his best buddy has just announced an intention to propose to Harada's ex-wife. Recovering from the shock, Harada indulges in melancholy, mainly on his failure as a husband and father, and goes to a 'Rakugo' (sit-down comedy) show, where a friendly man in the audience invites him home. Harada is puzzled at the strong resemblance of this man and his wife to his own parents, who were killed nearly 30 years ago when he was twelve. He visits the couple repeatedly, and greatly enjoys the happy atmosphere there, which was much like his childhood, and such a contrast to his current existence, which is lonely and tortured. But he is no longer alone. The same night his buddy confessed, Harada was visited by Kei, a beautiful woman from the third floor, who is also the only other occupant of their apartment building. She offers champagne and company. Furious with women, he rudely rebuffs her, but she persists, and he later invites her in. That they become lovers is no surprise, but she manages to hold an air of mystery. Despite making enthusiastic love, she never allows him to see her breasts, explaining that she has a terrible scar from a burn. Harada becomes increasingly agitated about the unreality of the visits with his parents, and he notices in a mirror that his face is becoming zombie-like. Dark rings under the eyes, a white-ish tone to his skin, and a haggard look. Kei sees it too, and warns him to stop visiting the parents. She warns that they are ghosts and they are feeding off his life force...
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Light on Action But Deep in Meaning
A difficult book to adapt, but done surprisingly well
Although 'discarnate' was a new word to me, I see it is defined in the dictionary as, 'disembodied', so although seeming a little clumsy as a film title, not totally inaccurate, although they probably should have stuck to the singular. I read 'Strangers' by Taichi Yamada, earlier this year and pondered how difficult it might be to film, not aware that it had indeed already been so filmed twenty years ago. The splendidly spooky book (Ijin-tachi to no Natsu, in the Japanese) was originally published in Japan in 1987 but only translated into English recently. The film itself is very faithful to the book and overcomes the difficulties I foresaw fairly creatively but mainly with the use of shadow. The middle section of the film seems a little flat, whereas in the book we are in the midst of deeply disturbing images both of the main character's deterioration and his friend's 'scars', the film plays this in a more straightforward manner. Nevertheless the film is well paced, has a warmth as well as worry to it and nobody could be disappointed by the rousing ending. A difficult book to adapt, but done surprisingly well.
a sweetly nostalgic sort of ghost story
Rather than relying on gore or a typical vengeful ghost like most Asian horror, this is a character driven, dramatic story that comes across as sadly nostalgic instead of overtly horrifying. All the actors and actresses do a wonderful job coming across like real people with their own motivations and drives. The main character is one that is both likable and easily identified with by the watcher. His scenes with the ghosts of his parents leave you longing for simpler times when things made more sense and perhaps wishing you could have time to know your own parents as people. You can't help but be happy as he rediscovers something he thought he had lost forever, his ability to love. The horror comes with the ending plot twist and is done with elegance and restraint that does not detract from the rest of the movie's feel. It is an emotionally satisfying movie even if it is not really scary.