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Tuesday 23 October 2012

Marebito (2004)

Marebito is the sort of movie that's more interesting than it is good. Both its characters and its Lovecraftian premise are fascinating, and I struggled to take my eyes off the screen even when nothing was happening. The film is packed with compelling ideas, but they're rarely capitalized on, and the whole thing feels a bit undercooked.

I've read Takashi Shimizu filmed this in only eight days, and it shows. If he and writer Chiaki Konaka had spent a little more time on this, I think it could have been something truly special. Shimizu is a talented director, and there's plenty to like about this. It's terrifically atmospheric, it has great visuals, and the actors give excellent performances. It's disturbing in a Cronenberg sort of way, and it holds up to repeat viewings. I just wish the film realized its full potential.

3.5 seconds of missing camera footage out of 5.
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4 comments:

  1. Dr Faustus23 October 2012 at 07:25

    I agree it feels rushed, and underdeveloped. I've only watched it once, about 5 years ago, but from memory I'd give it 2.5 apartment buddies out of 5.

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  2. Marceline23 October 2012 at 13:31

    I liked it more when I watched it again, maybe because I had managed my expectations. I believe there's a novel. If I ever find it I'd love to read it.

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  3. Borderline23 October 2012 at 15:31

    I searched around the writer Chiaki Konaka's website

    www.konaka.com and found a link to what I think is the novel. It's only available on the Japanese Amazon site. Not sure if that helps.

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  4. Marceline23 October 2012 at 15:33

    Thank you for doing that! I can't really read in Japanese right now, but I'm doing my best to learn. Someday. :)

    ReplyDelete

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