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I sincerely think this is the most perfect Japanese ghost movie I have ever seen. I say that simply because it is the first Japanese ghost movie I’ve seen with such a strong emotional core, and such potential to scare. There are a lot of similarities to Ringu, but I think this may be slightly superior. It also has a lot of similarities to The Shining, mainly with the apartment elevator and the way the story unfolds, but it by no means takes anything from The Shining. This movie may not be wholesale original, but it can stand on its own feet, which I can’t say about a lot of movies.
The reason Dark Water is so effective is because it understands subtlety. In other words, it understands how to take something that could happen in everyday life—like water dripping from the ceiling—and backs it up with a feeling of terror. I’m the biggest fan of over-the-top violence and punk storytelling you’re going to meet, but I can also tell you it’s rare than something like that that bashes you over the head is going to scare you. There are some exceptions, but I think that the subtle delicate approach this movie had was more effective in the ability to scare someone. I for one was so terrified by this movie that I almost had to turn the lights on—it’s been YEARS and HUNDREDS of movies I’ve seen since something did that to me. There was literally not even a single drop of blood or act of violence, but the subtlety is reminiscent of how we get scared in real life. Slowly. Emotionally.
Also, the other thing that makes Dark Water effective is that it doesn’t resort to plot clichés or cliché scares. I am the kind of person who sees a little ghost girl and immediately turns the movie off because it’s not original enough for me. BUT as I was watching this movie I realized the ghost girl was NOY an added on cliché because the Japanese seem to find them scary, but an actual living, breathing part of the plot. I’ve always said that it takes a lot of originality to take a genre piece—and Asian ghost movies isn’t an underexplored genre—and still have something different about it that makes it incomparable to the rest. Dark Waters isn’t quite that original, but it’s hard to name another movie exactly like it.
Once I got to the ending, this movie had me nearly crying. Maybe I’m a pansy and a sap, but I don’t think anyone can deny the strong bond between the mother and daughter was not well portrayed. Without that bond, the plot would fall apart. The acting was flawless and the writing was sharp.
The only flaw that I’ve seen people give this movie is the ending or lack thereof. Personally, I love weird movies, and I think the weirdness of the ending was pretty cool and well done. It defied clichés and it was just . . . weird. *Spoilers* I think I like the fact that the ghost was not a killer ghost more than anything. *End spoilers*Does the movie leave you with any idea of what just happened over the past hour and fifty minutes? Nope. And that’s why it was weirdly awesome. Trust me.
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