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Starring Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi
Directed by Hideo Nakata
Distributed by Arrow Video
Remember all that excitement around the early aughts, when J-Horror exploded into a phenomenon? Asia had been producing eerie, weird, and personal horror films for decades but the ease of dissemination via DVD – championed by the efforts of Tartan, when they were at their peak – ushered in a wave of foreign horror the likes of which hasn’t really been seen since. There were almost too many titles to keep up with, but films like Ringu (1998), Ju-On: The Grudge (2002), and Dark Water (2002) were among those singled out as particularly effective. The major studios were, of course, all-too-eager to remake the most popular titles for the U.S. market (where “subtitle” is generally a four-letter word) – nearly all of which turned out to be spectacularly bad. In some instances the original Japanese directors were brought in to helm their own remakes or remake-sequels and – shockingly (!) – the results were just as bad. The fad faded and J-Horror is on the backburner once more but now, fifteen or so years later, the impact of those most celebrated pictures has not lessened.
Dark Water is one that managed to slip by me all those years ago, though I did catch the Jennifer Connelly-led remake (most of it, at least) from 2005 and was thoroughly underwhelmed. Written and directed by Hideo Nakata, the man behind Ringu, the 2002 original tells the story of Yoshimi (Hitomi Kuroki) and her daughter, Ikuko (Rio Kanno), who have recently moved into a new, albeit rundown, apartment due to Yoshimi being in the midst of a nasty divorce from her workaholic husband. Ikuko’s father, who apparently showed little interest in his child prior to these proceedings, calls into question Yoshimi’s mental health citing issues she had years before Ikuko was born. Although she claims to be past those problems the divorce, child care, moving into a moldy unit, and beginning a new career are clearly taking a toll on her ability to function. Worse still, the apartment above hers is causing water to leak from the ceiling…
Yoshimi’s sanity is ready to snap, not only from being pulled in so many directions at once, but also because she has been catching glimpses of a young girl in a yellow raincoat as well as a child’s red toy bag that, despite being thrown away more than once, continues to reappear almost as if it’s taunting her. The mystery of the ubiquitous bag and child becomes clearer when Yoshimi learns of Mitsuko, a girl who went missing years ago. Not only did Mitsuko attend Ikuko’s school but Yoshimi also learns that she once lived in the same apartment building… in the unit right above her own.
Nakata manages to employ an atmosphere of dread, where Yoshimi and Ikuko exist in a bleak, rain-soaked corner of the world – it often feels as though they are the only two people in the entire building. The most impactful moments of the screenplay for me were those that played up Yoshimi’s isolation and her desperate attempt to “legitimize” herself by getting an apartment and taking on a new job because she has to look competent in the eyes of the divorce lawyers. Her husband may have been an absentee father but he has money and doesn’t play fair; Yoshimi has to be on point at all times. Now, as viewers we know some of what she is seeing and hearing can only be explained one way – it’s a ghost; however, she initially assumes these unexplained occurrences are the work of her soon-to-be-ex and, well, making assumptions like that known publicly isn’t the best way to retain credibility. The breaking down of Yoshimi gives this film a considerable emotional weight.
As for the actual ghost elements? Eh. Like every story of this sort, the puzzle pieces of the big reveal are doled out intermittently until we get to the super-soaked climax which features a complete “WTF?” moment that made me rethink the entire film until I realized the twist isn’t actually a twist at all. And to discuss this…
SPOILER ALERT FOR A 15-YEAR-OLD MOVIE
It is made clear during the second act that Mitsuko is likely behind the leaking and haunting of Yoshimi’s apartment, so her reveal later on is completely expected. If anything, it feels like it’s done too late. There comes a point after Mitsuko’s final, waterlogged appearance when she, Yoshimi, and Ikuko are all standing near each other – the former two inside an elevator while Ikuko is in the hallway. Yoshimi, instead of fleeing in fear, embraces Mitsuko as her own daughter, a torrent of water engulfs the building floor, and the two disappear into the elevator leaving Ikuko behind. But why? An allusion is made to Yoshimi having a life before her marriage and subsequent birth of Ikuko; a life that was fraught with mental problems. Initially, it seemed as though the twist might be that Yoshimi was Mitsuko’s mother who neglected her and “allowed” her to die; maybe some past tragedy she had blocked from her mind or something.
Nope, Yoshimi is apparently just tired of dealing with life and figures it would be better to live with a hobgoblin in a watery ghost world. After this sacrifice-of-sorts the film jumps ahead ten years to teenage Ikuko (Asami Mizukawa), who on a whim decides to visit her old apartment. There, she is greeted by the ghost of mom who says something about “always watching over her” before disappearing. All of the film’s mounting suspense gone, deflated by a whimper of an ending. Those expecting skin-tightening terror on the level of Ringu are going to be severely disappointed.
END OF SPOILERS
Dark Water wouldn’t crack my top fifteen J-Horror films but Nakata does deserve credit for his ability to imbue characters with a true sense of humanity. Yoshimi already has a full plate and Mitsuko’s haunting is the straw that broke this camel’s back – but it never feels properly connected to her story. Mitsuko’s presence is an unfortunate side effect of moving into that particular unit, nothing more. That lack of cohesion is what keeps Dark Water from being a great film.
For some inexplicable reason, Japanese studios do a notoriously poor job of preserving their films. Arrow Video, working with the best elements they were able to acquire, still isn’t able to do much to save the 1.85:1 1080p image, which is washed out and wholly unimpressive. This was shot on 35mm but the ugliness of the picture calls to memory something closer to bad digital photography. Colors are lacking in rich saturation, fine detail is often fuzzy and murky, grain appears too “noisy” and frequently looks clumpy, black levels are closer to grey… I can’t come up with many positives here. In terms of pure image detail and color reproduction this new Blu-ray likely beats out any prior DVD releases but otherwise this is weak in every regard.
The Japanese DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround sound track, thankfully, fares much better. There are plenty of immersive moments – rainfall, in particular, had me checking out my own window to see if a downpour just started – and the unnerving tones and eerie sound cues that creep from every corner of the room make for chilling ear candy. Dialogue sounds clear and balanced, not that it matters too much since 99% of viewers will be reading the English subtitles.
“Hideo Nakata: Ghosts, Rings, and Water” is a great sit-down interview with the director, who is happy to discuss his career in horror and what draws him to his subjects.
“Koji Suzuki: Family Terrors” is another interview, this time with one of Japan’s most celebrated horror authors.
“Junichiro Hayashi: Visualizing Horror” features the film’s director of photography discussing his methods and goals.
There are also a few legacy features included, too, such as a “Making-Of Featurette”, interviews with Hitomi Kuroki (Yoshimi), Asami Mizukawa (teenage Ikuko), and Shikao Suga (Composer). Additionally, expect to find a trailer, teaser, TV spots, and a booklet with photos, essays, and technical specs.
Special Features:
- High Definition digital transfer
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
- Original 5.1 audio (DTS-HD on the Blu-ray)
- Brand new interview with director Hideo Nakata
- Brand new interview with novelist Koji Suzuki
- Brand new interview with cinematographer Junichiro Hayashi
- Archive interview with actress Asami Mizukawa
- Original ‘Making of’ documentary
- Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain
- First pressing only: illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing by David Kalat, author of J-Horror: The Definitive Guide to The Ring, The Grudge and Beyond, and an examination of the American remake by writer and editor Michael Gingold
BUY IT NOW!
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Starring Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi
