CureMedhansh10.0· July 30, 2024FollowDirector- Kiyoshi Kurosawa.This is a great double feature with death by hanging.The movie follows the protagonist as he tries to find a murderer.The reveal of the killer isn't much, predictable too. But what finding him brings is what counts.The murders are especially innovative with an X carved on each victim's neck. Every killer said the same thing, the devil made me do it which doesn't make any sense till we understand how it happens.The protagonist, Takabe is a police officer who is investigating a string of murders that bear a lot of similarities with each other. He is searching for answers beyond his reach but doesn't falter. His wife, Fumie is shown to have some illness. The antagonist, Mamiya suffers from chronic memory loss just like the Protagonist's wife. Takabe works alongside a psychologist called Sakuma to solve the murders.The antagonist is shown asking the question, who are you to everyone he meets which though appears nonsensical at the start makes sense later on when he elaborates he's asking who a person is, beyond his title, name, creed, etc.He is a master of psychology and uses it to hypnotize unsuspecting victims by using water. He is using Mesmer's theory of Animal magnetism to do so. In the late 1800s, an unidentified Japanese professor expanded on Mesmer's theories, incorporating his own dark, supernatural, and occult philosophies, all centered around hypnotism. This is illustrated in the film when Sakuma shows Takabe old university footage of the professor performing a hypnotic "healing ritual" on an elderly woman, who later murders her son and carves the infamous "X" pattern into his neck. This marks the first instance of these occult practices manifesting violently.Mamiya found this work in the asylum he used to live in as a child, the teachings sparked something in his aimless and fragile state that set him on the path of malevolence and occultism. His apartment, filled with books on psychology, mesmerism, and occultism, suggests how these ideas consumed him, transforming him into a mere vessel for a malevolent force. Consequently, Mamiya loses his identity, existing solely to enact this force's will.This transformation explains Mamiya's amnesia tied to his total loss of self-identity. This can be seen when he states, "I used to exist inside myself, but now I'm only on the outside. That's why I can see what's inside of you." This statement implies that Mamiya has become a hollow shell, perceiving the world from an external perspective, capable of delving into the psyches of others, especially those who are damaged.Mamiya's obsession led him to pursue what Sakuma refers to as "a propagation of the ceremony," a ritual process involving the murders seen throughout the film. This process also entails transferring energy to a more suitable vessel, which ultimately becomes Takabe. Mamiya, serving as a proxy, aimed to find this vessel, likely choosing Takabe due to his strong resistance to suggestion and his precarious mental state. Early in the film, Fumie enters a trance-like state when the table vibrates, hinting at the use of sound waves to induce hypnosis. Mamiya later uses a similar technique, banging a wooden stool against a radiator to entrance a detective. It’s possible that Fumie was hypnotized using this method, making her a subtle influence on Takabe. Similarities between Fumie and Mamiya's symptoms—dissociation, mannerisms, and memory loss support this theory. Sakuma, when asked about the plausibility of such a hypnotic suggestion, says, "It would take forever to get a suggestion like that into place... If the hypnotist was a genius... But why would someone do that?" This line hints at a long-term plan orchestrated either by Mamiya or the force guiding him, with the ultimate goal of controlling Takabe. The plan likely began with Fumie, as suggested by her presence at the scene of a murder and the similarities between her doctor’s notes and Mesmer's observations on seizures during mesmerism.At the film's climax, Takabe and Mamiya meet in a dream-like confrontation, where Takabe kills Mamiya, symbolizing the transfer of occult power. Mamiya's final "X" gesture signifies the completion of this transference. Takabe's subsequent actions confirm the success of this transfer, as he hypnotizes a waitress without the usual hypnotic process, demonstrating his newfound power and why he was chosen as the ultimate vessel.CommentsSign in to react and join the conversation.Sign inGet the app
