The Complex

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

I've only managed to get to one film at the Japanese Film Festival this year. As a lover of J-horror I couldn't pass up Hideo Nakata's latest. According to IMDB trivia it was inspired by Let the Right One In. In an odd way I can kind of see that. The stories are completely different but I could imagine coming up with this after watching the trailer without subtitles. Some of the imagery is similar and you could misinterpret and extrapolate this story out of those images.

After a slow beginning things pick up a little with the reveal of a few twists and turns, most of which are pretty obvious. The big finish does involve what looks like a traditional Japanese exorcism. After becoming kind of numb to the amount of exorcisms in films, seeing a very different style was a pleasant change.

The film fails to build up the same amount of tension and dread as Ringu, but it's a very different kind of story. All the characters here are trying to move on with their lives (or afterlives) after tragedy, to varying degrees of success. The sentiment is successful even if the scares aren't, so the film still works. And it was great to be able to see it on the big screen.