Title: Marebito
Genre: Horror
Director: Shimizu Takashi
Format: Movie; 92 minutes.
Dates: 9 Dec 2005

Synopsis: Roaming the Tokyo streets with only camera at hand, Masuoka dedicates his life to the observation of his fellow man. His life of solitude is corrupted when he witnesses a gruesome suicide in the subways. He becomes compelled to understand the pure fear in the victim’s eyes; a fear he wants to witness for himself. After traveling deep beneath the surface of the Earth, he comes across a naked girl. He brings this girl, whom he dubs “F”, into our world, which soon sends him into a reality of chaos and the horror he’d been searching for.

The Highlights
Plot: Definitely on some variation of crystal meth.
Protagonist: Pales in comparison to the superb supporting cast, primarily “F”.
Soundtrack: Keeps the mood in a state of uncomfortable tension.
Finale: On twice as much crack as anything else in the film.
Number of times on should re-watch: At least two to three times.

The essence of fear is the core inspiration for every film in the horror genre. Past origin, essentially every horror movie in history was born from the creepy concepts of what makes your skin crawl in the dead of night or frame of mind. Yet, how many films are you familiar with that actually focus on the object, the thought of fear itself? The man of my heart, Shimizu Takashi, takes us on a journey through the eyes of a freelance cameraman, Masuoka, a man obsessed with understanding the very elusive emotion, the seed of many tales and films throughout the centuries: fear.

Marebito (literally translating into “The Stranger From Afar”) is the story of Masuoka and his journey into a realm of complete terror, a land combining the tales of Agartha and the urban myth of an underground world beneath the Tokyo streets. While it sounds science-fictiony, here Shimizu is clearly experimenting with many styles that have previously inspired him, combining fantasy with psychological horror. A closer analysis of the film reveals many hidden messages, that are too intricate to go into detail about here. Much like A Tale of Two Sisters, a second viewing of Marebito may be quite worth it.

The soundtrack, very subtle and eerie, combines with the unsure reality that Masuoka faces, especially after bringing the subterranean being, known as “F”, into his own world. The role of F is played amazingly by the young Miyashita Tomomi. Although at some points F may seem endearing, you may not be able to shake off the uncannily sinister aura that surrounds her and her many mysteries. Masuoka, played by Tsukamoto Shinya, is neither a likeable nor dislikable protagonist, placing the viewer in quite the uncomfortable situation. He simply leaves you on the fence between being sympathetic with him or thinking he’s a complete loon. Throughout the film, Tsukamoto is outshined by his co-stars, who are filled beautifully with emotion and dread.

Horror seems to work best when it isn’t comprised with cheap jump-scenes. Most of the film remains daunting and a few scenes produce genuine goose bumps. I felt myself turn white with fear at least twice. The pacing, unfortunately, does drag for the most part. The movie seems to take longer to view than it actually does, leaving you almost anticipating the end credits. Even after those joyous credits, you most likely won’t be able to shake off that completely icky feeling (which deserves some brownie points).

I can’t say I necessarily love Marebito, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good film. Marebito is brilliant in terms of requiring nearly two viewings to soak all of it up, instead of simply disappearing from the consciousness after a one-time screening. A second time is worth it, and perhaps after each viewing, it could very well grow onto you. I’m impressed that Shimizu felt comfortable enough to create such a insanely deep and utterly bizarre piece of work such as this. That isn’t to say I’d take this over Ju-On. Not a chance.

The Rating: 7

Reviewed by: Pachinko