TAG - A High School Splatter Film

Tag is a horror film filled with illogical ideas that make you wonder if the protagonist is dreaming or trapped in hell. The final twist-that the main character is a video game character-feels like a weak answer to the film's mysteries and left me disappointed. Unless we accept the idea that the protagonist is an AI agent, alive and self-aware, the ending falls flat. Only then can we consider artificial intelligence as truly living and possessing identity.

I loved parts of it and absolutely despised other parts of it.

The film accomplishes leaving the audience member with a sense of escape from eternal solitude and despair. This is an amazing thing to make others feel. Sadly, there is alot of random annoying things in the film too.

Watch it if you are interested.

I discovered this film from a Humour site who posted a sample video of this film. It made me curious to watch this film because of the cute chick plus the gory scene in the trailer.

The story is kind of deep. I think, It's trying to make its audience a mind blown effect. But it isn't. I'm unsatisfied with the dialogue trying to give a meaningful line. I think the novel version tells a lot than the movie version.

Regarding the special effects, instead of scrutinizing the not so bad and not so good gory scenes, just okay, I just laugh it out. I don't know if there's something wrong with me, but I really find those scenes funny.

After watching this film, It made me more curious and I want to read the original story of the novel this film was based.

Thank you.

With an opening sequence that tops 'Suicide Club" in shock value, aesthetics and eeriness, "Tag" targets a gore-hungry audience, but goes deeper with the many philosophical and psychological themes of determinism, power, fear, reality and identity.

"Tag" tackles greater issues than most films and does so well with a brisk pace that takes the viewer along the joyride (or hellride depending on how you see it) and makes him/her identify with the lead character's distress. The three leads who play the same persona are very well cast and effective in edging us into our seats. Their acting is grounded while the rest of the movie is often over the top at parts.

The daring premise, edgy editing, themes and tones are strong, yet Sono falls slightly short of his best work by making a clearly uneven piece at times with some easy thrills and instances with little coherence or content sneaking in. He proves showy, self-indulgent, eager to please the crowd and even uses questionable short-cuts instead of going deeper into the surreal, suspenseful and sublime narrative.

We are left with many questions like many of Sono's films, but in this case, we also understand that perhaps he could have asked himself more questions in the making in order to overcome some unwanted extraneous confusion and loss of focus. This is especially troublesome as it clocks less than 90 mins (uncharacteristic for long-winded Sono - see 237 mins "Love Exposure" as extreme example) and still shows some filler farce instead of sure hit fire-power.

Some superficial moments over subtlety and substance holds this film back, but the brute force and fantastic screen-writing and directing defy denying this fresh film its place into the pantheon of path-breaking provocative piece of cinema.

Despite its minor and more blatant flaws, this film holds well to a metaphorical mirror and is not in search of identity like its main character. It is disconnected beyond its useful purpose, but parades around arguably able to arouse sympathy and separately speak volume on our psychological individual and societal brink of breakdown.

Try to be spontaneous. Accept the surreal and tolerate the slapstick and silliness.

Japan 2015 | 85 mins | FANTASIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | DCP | Japanese (English subtitles)

Tag is a difficult movie to rate. The soundtrack is beautiful, the CGI is...shall we say, it could use improvement? The acting to me is good, but I can see if some consider it "over the top".

It's a very Japanese movie with Japanese humour, so many Western people might not understand it or frown upon it.

It's also a very "Sono" movie. Sion Sono (I think as far as I remember, he comes from the pinka aiga genre and his wife is a former JAV star) made many movies about patriarchy and the whole "men vs women" thing. Love Exposure, Cold Fish, Guilty of Romance...all with pretty despicable male characters and often with the empowerment of women.

Tag makes it clear early on that it's a very female movie. Up until the final part, there isn't a single male character (if we don't count a literal "pig") in the film. Then, as we cross into the "real" world, we see nothing but male characters (and not in a flattering light).

I see Tag as a metaphor. Men control women, they oversexualize them (if you watch closely, all the school girls seem to be clearly older than regular school girls) and show them as objects. So we can see the final scene as a freeing of male shackles, aimed at (Japanese) women?