UzumakiAdapted from the manga of the same name by Junji Ito, Uzumaki tells the twisted tale of the town of Kurozu-cho--a small town in rural Japan--undergoing a particular kind of curse, where spirals transfix the residents and dominate the psyche of the denizens, manifesting in bizarre mutations and meteorological abnormalities. The story follows sweet high school girl, Kirie (Eriko Hatsune) as she observes her classmates, friends, and more suddenly fall sway under the possession of the "uzumaki". Aided by her aloof childhood sweetheart, Shuichi (Fhi Fan), the two kids struggle to unravel a power that is beyond their comprehension.
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Uzumaki starts out innocently enough...if you forget that the opening shot is a bloody corpse, an early victim of the "uzumaki" curse, where unwitting people are drawn under the hypnotic undertow of the spiral pattern. Kirie is racing between the humble alleys in her quaint town, eager to meet up with her would-be boyfriend, Shuichi. Juxtaposing this kind of visceral gore with charming, halcyon days of school girl crushes and mundane country life makes for a unique hybrid of two distinct Japanese styles of filmmaking, a decidedly unsettling blend that is made all the more macabre by the predominance of a sickly, greenish pallor infusing the color profile of the film. Supporting characters and townsfolk already lean toward the strange and quirky. But as the "uzumaki" curse begins to infect Kurozu-cho, they transform--literally and metaphorically--into creatures and enigmas right out of H. P. Lovecraft. Director "Higuchinsky" not only exhibits bountiful examples of the spiral in nature--and things unnatural--like snail shells and prehensile hair that morphs into the most extreme kind of curls, but the film also possesses smaller spirals digitally lurking in the background of scenes, nearly hidden in plain sight, a subconscious effort to unseat any sense of comfort we might have in watching this creepy film. Little time is spent on developing characters--even Kirie and Shuichi only get the most incidental level of backstory--because the real meat of the story is the collection of weird transmutations. Kirie has a stalker in a socially inept boy named Yamaguchi (Sadao Abe), who you almost feel sorry for, but he is so callous and his motivations to date Kirie are selfish. She also has a good friend in Azami Kurotani, and lives with her widowed father, who is also a prize-winning sculptor. But even these relationships are incidental to the real terror that shows little desire to conceal itself. Like a snail, the menacing doom crawls all across the film, leaving its sickly trail behind it.
Uzumaki teases the idea that there is a mystery to be solved regarding the spiral epidemic--it goes so far as to introduce a reporter into the mix, Tamura (Masami Horiuchi), who draws a connection between the significance and similarities of the the Japanese words for "mirror" and "serpent", as well as mirrors (highly-detailed medallions) uncovered at the mysterious Dragonfly Pond, toying with the idea of "worshiping the serpent" as a justification, et cetera. But ultimately, Kirie is outclassed in this battle with a paranormal presence outside of her control, and if there was a mystery to solve that would end this curse, she simply isn't the right person for the job. Though she may be uniquely resistant to the pull of the uzumaki, she is also unfortunately cursed in that she must witness those she knows and cares for become constricted in the coils of this terrible phenomenon. Kirie is not cursed or chosen to suffer because of any past sins or as any kind of demented kind of justice; no, her pathos is a kind of survivor's guilt, having barely escaped the calamity of Kurozu-cho. Kirie's own exodus seems to be a kind of rebellion, her own narration and the accompanying chapter breaks threaten the very stability of the movie itself, evidenced by the film tearing special effects. Her escape gives her that last, desperate chance to reveal the dread truth to us, and we are left with shocking images of the carnage in the wake of the unholy aftermath, a chilling series of final shots that haunt you long after the credits roll. Uzumaki feels simple, even cheaply made, but that scant aestheticism give it an eerie quality that few movies possess, and unnerve you in large part because of the chaotic undertone in the crafting of the somewhat schizophrenic flick. Beware if you gaze into the uzumaki...for the uzumaki gazes also into you.
Recommended for: Fans of dark, creepy Japanese horror, filled with bizarre characters and plot, and a sickly filter lends itself to delightful midnight movie magic.
Uzumaki teases the idea that there is a mystery to be solved regarding the spiral epidemic--it goes so far as to introduce a reporter into the mix, Tamura (Masami Horiuchi), who draws a connection between the significance and similarities of the the Japanese words for "mirror" and "serpent", as well as mirrors (highly-detailed medallions) uncovered at the mysterious Dragonfly Pond, toying with the idea of "worshiping the serpent" as a justification, et cetera. But ultimately, Kirie is outclassed in this battle with a paranormal presence outside of her control, and if there was a mystery to solve that would end this curse, she simply isn't the right person for the job. Though she may be uniquely resistant to the pull of the uzumaki, she is also unfortunately cursed in that she must witness those she knows and cares for become constricted in the coils of this terrible phenomenon. Kirie is not cursed or chosen to suffer because of any past sins or as any kind of demented kind of justice; no, her pathos is a kind of survivor's guilt, having barely escaped the calamity of Kurozu-cho. Kirie's own exodus seems to be a kind of rebellion, her own narration and the accompanying chapter breaks threaten the very stability of the movie itself, evidenced by the film tearing special effects. Her escape gives her that last, desperate chance to reveal the dread truth to us, and we are left with shocking images of the carnage in the wake of the unholy aftermath, a chilling series of final shots that haunt you long after the credits roll. Uzumaki feels simple, even cheaply made, but that scant aestheticism give it an eerie quality that few movies possess, and unnerve you in large part because of the chaotic undertone in the crafting of the somewhat schizophrenic flick. Beware if you gaze into the uzumaki...for the uzumaki gazes also into you.
Recommended for: Fans of dark, creepy Japanese horror, filled with bizarre characters and plot, and a sickly filter lends itself to delightful midnight movie magic.