Kawaki.

The story was complex in time series and difficult to understand until the final phase. Although it was a mystery, there was an atmosphere like a human drama. Even after I finished watching, there were many unclear points such as human relations, but it attracted me. The actors' performance was great. I was especially surprised by Yakusho Koji's performance. Despite having a big role, he played madness to the end.

A jaded Japanese detective reevaluates his faded memories of his estranged teenage daughter when asked by his ex-wife to investigate her disappearance in this one-of-a-kind crime drama directed by Tetsuya Nakashima. The film is assembled with a very vibrant visual style that varies from rapid fire edits to bouts of animation to slow paced, leisurely shots that bask in the beauty of Christmas lights. The film also begins in a curious anti-narrative manner as the protagonist's memories are mixed with clips of his daughter partying and the police quizzing him. Narrative point-of-view is also broken for several flashbacks told from his daughter's boyfriend's perspective. Given the plot and stylistic touches, the film is perhaps best described as 'Kill Bill' meets 'The Third Man' and it gets points for originality alone. The dialogue is full of philosophical quips too about how some of us are not "cut out to be a human being" and how easy it is "to fall into a hole so deep" that you keep falling. Yet, for all its daringness and intelligence, the film does not entirely work. The actual solution to the girl's disappearance is mundane and the value of all the red herrings is debatable, especially the question mark placed over the true nature of his relationship to his daughter, but it does cause one to think. The ultimate messages at hand are relatively simple (not everyone is who you think they are; some vices in life are dangerous), however, the emotional roller-coaster is a hard experience to shake. This is an effective film in that it gets you in the protagonist's mind and forces you to question how you would react. The Harry Lime dynamic also works well with a protagonist as naïve as Holly Martins. This is not however the easiest film under the sun to endure.

A father searching for his kid, very similar style like Confessions (2010) which i've just realized, share the same director Tetsuya Nakashima. Nana Komatsu the cutie playing Kanako's nice to watch, also the main lead, Koji Yakusho playing her dad acted well as a bad person. It goes back and forth between 2 characters at different times. Some parts are very distasteful but they keep the suspense & mystery going, it got me interested enough to stay watching till the end to find out what happens next. The resolution of the story's quite beautiful too. This film's unexpectedly bonkers.

So yeah, most certainly if you really enjoy mystery suspense films with some craziness particularly like Confessions (2010) or Oldboy (2003) , i think you may appreciate this flick too.

7/10

This is one of those films that you need to pay attention to. It is about Kanako Fujishima who is a bright and beautiful high school student. She is 'the cool set' all by herself and everyone wants to know her. Then one day she goes missing with no trace and no apparent reason for having done so. She lives with her mum who has divorced her father due to his atrocious behaviour.

He was a cop who quit the force around the same time and has become a drug and drink dependant security guard ever since – a state of affairs which has done little to improve his behaviour. However, when their daughter goes missing he is called by his estranged wife to find her. Thus begins a search in which he wants to find his daughter, but in doing so he uncovers a whole side to her that he had never imagined.

Now this is a film that I completely loved and was a bit bowled over by to be honest. It starts a bit full on with plenty of blood splatter – a theme that is repeated rather a lot throughout the 114 minute run time. Ex cop Akikazu is a real 'piece of work', brutish, violent, paradoxical and about as likable as a bout of gangrene.

He explodes onto the screen is a flurry of abuse which he sort of maintains throughout. He drives a 1970's Nissan Gloria which is in keeping with a lot of the styling here. That being the opening sequences are very seventies and full of Batman like words imposed in cartoon on the screen – mainly violent or profane. There is animation throughout too. It is violent, it is bonkers in places and to my amazement I actually laughed a couple of times. There are a few minor issues with continuity but nothing that could possibly detract from the overall impact of this great piece of Japanese movie making.

Amazing editing. SO many storylines working together to make the scene. The movie keeps getting intense.