Dark Water
by Hideo Nakata
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Actor: Asami Mizukawa, Fumiyo Kohinata, Hitomi Kuroki, Mirei Oguchi, Rio KannoDirector: Hideo Nakata
Brand: ADV Films
Writer: Hideo Nakata
Producer: John Ledford
Producer: Kyle Jones
Writer: Ken'ichi Suzuki
Writer: Kôji Suzuki
Writer: Takashige Ichise
Writer: Yoshihiro Nakamura
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 101 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-21
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Section 23
DVD Reviews of Dark Water
DVD Review: Water water everywhere....
Summary: 4 Stars
One has probably heard the expression, "water water everywhere." Well, that's the weather report of the Japan in Honogurai Mizu No Sokokara, or Dark Water. Dark Water was originally a collection of short stories written by Koji Suzuki, who exploded onto fame with The Ring. The first of those stories, "Floating Water," was adapted into a full-length feature in Japan, and was the second work of Suzuki adapted to the screen by Hideo Nakata.
Yoshimi Matsubara is going through a rough patch in her life. She is involved in a custody battle with her ex-husband over her nearly six-year old daughter Ikuko, and is searching for a place to live. That they do, in a decrepit dingy seven story apartment complex. Encouraged by the friendly realtor, they move in to Room 305. Unfortunately, the apartment is old, the drinking water tastes bad, and water keeps seeping through the flat's roof. Kamiya, the elderly live-in apartment manager, makes a note of it in the log, but doesn't do a thing about it. The water-stained spot keeps growing until one time, while resting by her sleeping daughter in bed, she wakes up to find the whole bed and pillow sopping wet!
Ikuko finds a red plastic handbag with a cute cartoon rabbit, Mimiko, up on the apartment roof. Instead of letting Ikuko keep it, Yoshimi has Kamiya put it in the lost and found box. There's something about cleanliness Yoshimi has, presumably her revulsion to something discarded-you know, who knows where it's been? However, it has a tendency of turning up in weird places, which begins to scare Yoshimi. And is Yoshimi seeing things, or was there a small girl in a yellow plastic raincoat on the fourth floor? And is there any relation to a girl from Ikuko's kindergarten who went missing two years ago?
While Yoshimi tries to be a good single mother, things aren't easy between trying to get a job, getting off work late, and trying to pick up Ikuko from kindergarten. She has been a very sensitive woman, having been so affected at proofreading some graphic and sadistic novels that she'd undergone psychiatric treatment, that the custody hearings raises her stress level. Her ex, on the other hand, is a cold and calculating, but factual person, who doesn't seem too concerned with Ikuko as much as wanting to score a victory over Yoshimi.
The custody battle itself is anything but peaceful. As Yoshimi's lawyer Kishida tells her, the mother has the advantage when the offspring is six years or younger, but things at the apartment, the red bag, and her husband's cunning tactics at revealing her mental health gets Yoshimi hysterical in full view of both her lawyer and her ex's lawyer, which helps damage her case.
The film's noir ambience is partially due to the rain, which it does a lot of in this movie, but the darkly lit corridors and elevators of the apartment complex create an atmosphere suitable for psychological horror, for which the last half hour before the postscript is a whirlwind of suspense and scares.
Hitomi Kuroki does well in portraying Yoshimi, who has the frightening ordeal of having to live alone, provide for her daughter, and balance things out, making one sympathize with the sensitive woman. And Rio Kanno (Ikuko) is a sweet daughter one roots for. This single mother-child pairing worked well in the previous Suzuki adaptation Ringu. Those who saw Ju-On (the original Grudge) will recognize Isao Yatsu (Kamiya) as Saito-san, the wheelchair-bound old man at the hospital who does the peekaboo game and silly noises.
What Psycho did for showers, Dark Water does for baths and a sink, in a scene when Ikuko turns on the tap for a glass of water and shlup!-a lock of hair comes out of the tap, freaking out the poor girl. A well-done suspense story, equal parts custody drama, ghost story, and suspense thriller. Oh, and given what the Americans did to Ringu with their version, I'm not even gonna bother with the American Dark Water. Come on Hollywood, stop making rotten versions of great Japanese thrillers, fer cryin' out loud!
Description of Dark Water
No one loses their mind instantly ? Sanity seeps away one drop at a time. Yoshimi simply wanted a better life ? for both herself and her daughter Ikuko. Unfortunately, such wishes may sometimes be hard to come by. The custody battle has grown embittered and hurtful, her new job is less than desirable, and Ikuko?s schoolwork has taken a turn for the worse. But, Yoshimi has something bigger to worry about. Something upstairs. Something cold and dank. Something that should have never been.Bestsellers in DVD
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