Director- Nakashima Tetsuya.This is the fifth film I have seen of his, and I have seen that he makes pretty colourful films. I can finally add him to my list of favourite directors with this review.This film reminded me a lot of Exhuma, which was released in 2024. However, Exhuma is an incredibly worse version of it.The first half of the film is a typical horror film with folk elements. This time around, we don't see the entity, though and don't even know its pronouns, calling it as it the whole time. It is foremost about a father's devotion and how much he can sacrifice for his family's safety. The film also uses social media as a minor plot point, using it to show how one's online and offline life can be so different.The second half, though, is where the meat of the story is. It uses a multiple-point-of-view structure excellently and uses its unexpected nature quite well. The second half of the film keeps us guessing the whole time. This nature reminded me of the Retribution of Kurosawa Kiyoshi, in which we try to keep guessing the main entity as well.The different points of view are used as a means to show us how humans are flawed individuals and how our perception makes us see things in a different light than they actually are, rather than using the technique solely to push the plot forward.After seeing the wife's point of view and the husband's neglect of his real family for his reel family, and her destroying the house, I thought that there is no supernatural entity. And thought that the original exorcist had been beaten up by the wife. The wife neglecting the daughter after not being able to bear the responsibilities of two parents alone made me think that karma is out to get her and that her extramarital love affair is scheming yet again to make her kill her daughter. I thought he would ditch his wife, alone with two lives on her hands, due to wanting to take revenge on her for some past misdeeds. Finding out that the boyfriend was possessed by the entity was a great twist. The way the older sister of the exorcist's skills are showcased is delayed, making it all the more worthwhile. The way the film lacks the usual maximalism of Nakashima for the most part till the final exorcism makes such scenes pack all the more of a sensory punch.The final reveal about the entity being called by the kid was awesome and reminded me of the Omen, which also featured a demon spawn kid.The imagery during the exorcism is awesome and reminded me of the malevolent shrine of Jujutsu Kaisen due to the free-flowing pond of blood encapsulating the entire surface. The ending being open-ended, as was the door of the underworld, was an interesting choice, as now what will become of the entity, will it take the kid back or find a new kid to take back. Also, does the kid want to live? No one asked her that.Overall, this is another great film by Nakashima Tetsuya. This made me all the more excited for the Brightest Sun that is releasing this year. Hope it gets a theatrical release in India, would love to watch a Nakashima in a theatre.
Director- Nakashima Tetsuya.This is the fifth film I have seen of his, and I have seen that he makes pretty colourful films. I can finally add him to my list of favourite directors with this review.This film reminded me a lot of Exhuma, which was released in 2024. However, Exhuma is an incredibly worse version of it.The first half of the film is a typical horror film with folk elements. This time around, we don't see the entity, though and don't even know its pronouns, calling it as it the whole time. It is foremost about a father's devotion and how much he can sacrifice for his family's safety. The film also uses social media as a minor plot point, using it to show how one's online and offline life can be so different.The second half, though, is where the meat of the story is. It uses a multiple-point-of-view structure excellently and uses its unexpected nature quite well. The second half of the film keeps us guessing the whole time. This nature reminded me of the Retribution of Kurosawa Kiyoshi, in which we try to keep guessing the main entity as well.The different points of view are used as a means to show us how humans are flawed individuals and how our perception makes us see things in a different light than they actually are, rather than using the technique solely to push the plot forward.After seeing the wife's point of view and the husband's neglect of his real family for his reel family, and her destroying the house, I thought that there is no supernatural entity. And thought that the original exorcist had been beaten up by the wife. The wife neglecting the daughter after not being able to bear the responsibilities of two parents alone made me think that karma is out to get her and that her extramarital love affair is scheming yet again to make her kill her daughter. I thought he would ditch his wife, alone with two lives on her hands, due to wanting to take revenge on her for some past misdeeds. Finding out that the boyfriend was possessed by the entity was a great twist. The way the older sister of the exorcist's skills are showcased is delayed, making it all the more worthwhile. The way the film lacks the usual maximalism of Nakashima for the most part till the final exorcism makes such scenes pack all the more of a sensory punch.The final reveal about the entity being called by the kid was awesome and reminded me of the Omen, which also featured a demon spawn kid.The imagery during the exorcism is awesome and reminded me of the malevolent shrine of Jujutsu Kaisen due to the free-flowing pond of blood encapsulating the entire surface. The ending being open-ended, as was the door of the underworld, was an interesting choice, as now what will become of the entity, will it take the kid back or find a new kid to take back. Also, does the kid want to live? No one asked her that.Overall, this is another great film by Nakashima Tetsuya. This made me all the more excited for the Brightest Sun that is releasing this year. Hope it gets a theatrical release in India, would love to watch a Nakashima in a theatre.
