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There’s no denying that Takashi Miike’s “Sham” is dramatically effective. However, it may be one of the rare courtroom thrillers that is, at times, too effective for its own good. One would think there’s no such thing, but the movie’s engrossing visual and tonal language is all about seeding doubt, a promise on which Miike over-delivers, resulting in a tale that remains in morally gray territory long after it means to.

The film is based on a real 2003 court case — and a subsequent book by journalist Masumi Fukuda — in which a Japanese elementary school teacher was accused of physically and emotionally tormenting a student, who allegedly came close to suicide. The student’s mixed American heritage (by way of a great grandparent) was the alleged focus of racist remarks, which the boy’s mother would bring to light with the help of diligent reporters, when the...

There are plenty of directors who masterfully tackle diverse genres and types of films, but few can compare to Takashi Miike, who literally has more than 100 films to his name and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. Miike is sometimes reduced to an excessive, sensationalist filmmaker who gleefully pushes boundaries. This is certainly true to some extent, but Miike has also directed his share of more intimate character-driven dramas that don’t feel the need to drench the screen in blood or…other fluids.

Miike’s fearlessness can create a numbness to these extremes where the audience takes these spectacles for granted. For a director where nothing is off limits, the most impressive thing is sometimes to show restraint and rein things in. Sham is an emotional uppercut that is hardly Miike’s most “normal” movie. However, it uses the everyday horrors that hide in plain sight to...