Sakebi (2006)

Director:

Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Writer:

Kiyoshi Kurosawa (written by)

Release Date:

24 February 2007 (Japan)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

A detective investigates a series of murders. A possible serial killer might be on a rampage, since...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Ghost | Police | Serial Killer | Red

Cast

Kôji Yakusho	...	Noboru Yoshioka
Manami Konishi	...	Harue Nimura
Tsuyoshi Ihara	...	Tôru Miyaji
Hiroyuki Hirayama	...	Wakai Keiji Sakurai
Ikuji Nakamura	...	Shôichi Sakuma
Ryo Kase	...	Sagyôsen no Sen'in (as Ryô Kase)
Okunuki Kaoru	...	Miyuki Yabe
Hironobu Nomura	...	Seiji Onoda
Jin Muraki	...	Kenshikan Furuya
Hajime Inoue	...	Keiji
Naoko Miyake	...	Kangofu
Yôko Chôsokabe	...	Kangofu
Takahiro Sato	...	Sakuma no Musuko Yûsuke (as Takahiro Satô)
Kenkichi Watanabe	...	Shiryôgakari
Kaoru Mizuki	...	Shibata Reiko no Hahaoya

Also Known As:

Shriek (International: English title) (working title) (Japan) (literal English title)
Retribution (International: English title) (literal title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violent content.

Runtime:

104 min | Italy:103 min (Venice Film Festival)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Hong Kong:IIB | Argentina:16 | USA:R | Australia:MA | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Japan:PG-12

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company:

Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS)

Soundtrack:

Kaze ni naru

Intriguing and Complex

In Tokyo, when a young woman in a red dress is drowned in a hole with sea water by a stranger, Detective Noboru Yoshioka (Kôji Yakusho) is assigned to investigate the case; however he finds evidences that points out to him as the possible murderer. Then a doctor kills his son in the same way, and Noboru believes the man is a serial-killer. However, Noburo is haunted by a woman dressed in red that he believes is the first victim called F18 by the coroner and becomes obsessed to solve the case. Further he proposes his girlfriend Harue Nimura (Manami Konishi) to move with him to another city or country. Meanwhile a woman drowns her lover in a bathtub with sea water. When the body of the woman in red (F18) is identified, Noburo arrests the killer and believes the ghost will leave him. But when he meets Miyuki Yabe (Kaoru Okunuki), he finds that she was possessed by the emotions of the fiend when she murdered her lover and Noboru's psychiatric identifies that his problems are connected to events of fifteen years ago. Noboru asks Harue to travel alone and navigates in a boat to an abandoned asylum where he discovers the truth about the spirit.

"Sakebi" is an intriguing horror tale, supported by a complex plot that is open to interpretations. I saw this movie twice on DVD trying to understand the mystery, but it was not clear the connection among Noboru, Reiko (the first victim F18), the doctor Sakuma and Miyuki with the ghost in red. Something is missing to give full comprehension to the plot. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Vítima de uma Alucinação" ("Victim of an Hallucination")