Film Reviews

Dark Water

• Rating:
• Director: Hideo Nakata.
• Starring: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Fumiyo Kohinata, Asami Mizukawa, Shigemitsu Ogi, Mirei Oguchi, Yu Tokui, Isao Yatsu.
• Details: Jap / 101 mins / (18).

Slow burning, atmospheric but utterly masterful psychological horror from a director who is quickly becoming one of the most accomplished working in the medium today. Once again, Nakata displays his preference for female characters as his central protagonist is Yoshimi (Kuroki) currently in the midst of a messy divorce, with the main bone of contention being custody of their five-year-old daughter Ikuko (Kanno). In the meantime, Yoshimi and Ikuko move into a dilapidated apartment in a run down area. Even before they have settled in, water begins to drip from the ceiling, which Yoshimi believes may have something to do with the abandoned apartment above. But dampness is a minor concern when the spectre of a young girl begins to make her presence felt. Perhaps it's due to the director's measured reserve or even the drab locations and sombre filming methods employed, but Dark Water is a claustrophobic, deeply unsettling film. Some may seen the narrative as being a little too lightweight, but Nakata's remarkable skill in harnessing and maintaining an atmosphere of foreboding is unparalleled, while he effortlessly etches out rounded characters who are all too easy to relate to. Truthfully, and as much as I love the genre, only a few horror films have left me feeling genuinely unnerved. The director's own Ringu (remade as 'Ring') was one. Dark Water is another. Keep a change of underwear handy - you may need it.

Review by Garreth Murphy