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Kakashi
Japan 2001
produced by Youichiro Onishi for Planet
directed by Norio Tsuruta
starring Maho Nonami, Kou Shibasaki, Grace Yip, Yoshiki Arizono, Mizuho Igarashi, Yoji Tanaka, Bob Suzuki, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Yukimi Koyanagi, Riri (= Lily), Kenzo Kawarazaki, Shunusuke Matsuoka, Tomoko Ogawa
screenplay by Ryuta Mitaku, Osamu Murakami, Satoru Tamaki, Norio Tsuruta, based on the manga by Junji Ito, music by Shinichiro Ogata
review by Mike Haberfelner
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To find her brother Tsuyoshi (Shunsuka Matsuoka), Kaoru (Maho Nonami)
travels to a remote village where she, after her car breaks down, suddenly
finds herself stranded, and where all the villagers seem to have a weird
fascination for scarecrows and a exaggerated distrust towards strangers
like her. Only relative newcomers to the village like Sally Chen (Grace
Yip) and the local Doctor seem to be willing to help her at all, while the
other villagers not only refuse to tell her anything about her brother -
who had a relationship with one of the village's girls, Izumi (Kou
Shibasaki) -, they also react more and more violent towards her, Sally and
the Doc ... and they seem to be stuffed with straw, just like a scarecrow
...
Eventually, Kaoru finds her brother, but he seems to be under some kind
of hypnotic spell, and Kaoru and Sally find it difficult to convince him
to leave the village with them.
Ultimately though, Kaoru, Sally and Tsuyoshi have to make a run for it,
when the villagers led by Izumi - who seems to be some kind of vengeful
spirit - close in on them, but ultimately they lose Tsuyoshi but can do
nothing but run on.
When they are almost safe though, Kaoru seems to have fallen under the
village's hypnotic spell too, and she turns back while Sally makes the
rest of the way alone ...
I love the concept of this film, a horrorfilm with scarecrows.
Unfortunately however, the film is by far not as interesting as teh
concept, it's a rather confusing but conventional ghost story with
scarecrows just thrown in but never allowed to develop their full
potential. Rather a shame, actually.
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