Filed under: Horror | Tags: Asian Horror, Death Water, j-horror, Japanese Cinema, Japanese Horror, Kiyoshi Yamamoto, Mizuchi, review
Mizuchi – AKA Death Water
Release Date: 27 May 2006 (Japan)
Director: Kiyoshi Yamamoto
Genre: Horror
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A supernatural plague has infected Tokyo’s water supply and a wave of unusual suicides, where victims cut out their own eyes, is sweeping the area. After a college professor is found dead with a note that reads “death water” clutched in his hand, Journalist Kyoko Togakure is compelled to investigate.
Death Water is – in a word – unexpected. What begins as a simple horror story about water infected with some other-worldy curse, somewhere along the line becomes a more abstract and melancholy exploration of dementia. A mature, complex story, capable acting and some genuinely entertaining surprises separate Mizuchi from the chaff of Asian horror.
The best of modern Japanese cinema often features non-linear narratives and open-ended, avant-garde approaches to story telling. Death Water does the same, with a well grounded plot and chronological progression of events, making it complex but very watchable. We can sit back and let the film take us where it takes us, without having to look at the road map every ten minutes.
There is little trace of the slapped together, childish concepts and execution we’re so accustomed to seeing in modern horror. This is a film that takes its audience seriously, something preciously rare in the genre.
Both the male and female leads, played by Haruka Igawa and Atsuro Watabe respectively, put in very solid performances. The surrounding cast contribute satisfactory work as well.
There is a noticeable lack, at times, of the sudden shocks and jolts which help comprise the core repertoire of Japanese horror. The tension and mystery however, are dialed up to appropriately high levels to compensate.
For all its creepy atmosphere and its twists and turns, Mizuchi, in the end, isn’t all that scary. It may leave you feeling hopeless, insignificant and in doubt of your own life as you knew it – but you won’t need to leave a light on at night. Death Water is a fine, dark film but if you’re looking for an hour and a half of heart attacks, you won’t find it here.
This film is a well told tale of supernatural mystery and madness which should appease anyone looking for horror that takes the art of storytelling seriously. It’s a still a wonder why paint-by-numbers movies such as Chakushin ari gain widespread notoriety, while a more bold and complex production like Mizuchi remains relatively hidden for the discovery.
7.5/10
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