Silk - Si può catturare un fantasma?

In Taipei, the crippled scientist Hashimoto (Yosuke Eguchi) uses his invention of "Menger Sponge" to capture the energy of the spirit of a child in an old building. He invites the specialist in reading lips, Detective Tung (Chen Chang), to join his research team that is studying the phenomenon to understand the movements of the lips of the ghost. Hashimoto is trying to disclose why the energy of the ghost does not dissipate, and Tung discovers the identity and the dramatic story of the boy. He was sick with tumors and was killed by his own mother and buried nearby a nuclear plant. Hashimoto deduces that the rage of the boy for his mother associated to the location where the body was buried were the reason to keep the energy. When the government decides to shutdown the research, Hashimoto becomes insane and takes the spirit with him.

"Guisi" is an original and dramatic ghost story with characters well developed and great special effects. However, the confused screenplay is weird and flawed in some moments, with an absolute lack of explanation for many situations. For example, how Hashimoto walks in the ceiling of the director's bedroom? Why the ghosts kill when the person looks in their eyes? Why the mother dies exactly when Tung reaches her room? There are many other situations without a satisfactory explanation, but it is worthwhile watching this film. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Silk - O Primeiro Espírito Capturado" ("Silk - The First Captured Spirit")

Note: On 04 September 2015, I saw this film again.

I rented this on DVD today and was pleasantly surprised. The DVD has an alternative ending for the movie, which I am glad had not been used. The ending that was chosen was the better choice.

I was immediately drawn into this movie with it's intriguing story. How each character approached the mystery of the captured ghost and their own agenda's made for more intrigue to see how each came together to finalize the story. On another plus for this movie was the lack of gore ... there was "some," but not of the type to ruin such a good movie. Of course, one scene was a bit bloody, but it was a necessary scene for emphasis. The two lead roles had seriously realistic depth regarding love, hate, compassion, suffering and death. Due to the creativeness and imagination that went into developing the characters, I lost myself into the film forgetting they were acting.

All aspects were done very well ... good timing, special affects, lighting (was a little too dark at the first of the movie), music score, cast ... everything was superbly done. Also, it was nice that the movie had a good ending and wasn't one of those that leave you hanging with "gee, there'll be a sequel." The one thing that did not come out well for me on my regular television was the strands of silk. If I had not watched the Special Affects on the DVD to know there was supposed to be silk threads emanating out of a bowl of noodles I would not have known (and didn't know when I watched the film) that silk threads were present. Then again, I watched this movie this afternoon, when the television gets more daylight obliterating fine details such as this, so I recommend watching this in a darkened room to fully appreciate it and maybe the first part of the film won't seem so dark. I recommend this movie and if more than a 10 rating could be given I would do so. It's one of the best "horror-thrillers" (go light on the horror) I've seen in a very long time with a story that's not been done before.

This film has a very intriguing concept plenty of suspense and a well thought out story line definitely a film you must follow closely plenty of plot twists and turns along the way recommended 6 out of 10.

Silk is a Taiwanese film with a mixed cast of Taiwanese and Japanese actors. And often the Taiwanese actors will talk Japanese to make matters even more confusing. It does add an international flair or scale if you will. Chances are however you haven't even heard of this title. It certainly deserves an International audience. Find out why.

Silk very successfully combines science fiction, drama and horror. The pacing of Silk is just right. From the start you want to know what is going on. There are certainly enough scares and surprises. However you should keep in mind that this only is the case if you go in blind. Meaning if you know very little or nothing about the film. It could be stated that Silk is a little too ambitious for it's own good where one is trying to deepen the themes and characters. And the attempt is admirable. Ultimately it distracts somewhat and even falls a bit short. One example is the subplot involving Chen Chang (Tung). It's too melodramatic and illogical to make an impact.

The horror elements of the story are subtle but scary when it needs to be. There aren't many characters involved and that is a good thing so it's clear you should put the focus on. There are quite a few pivotal matters that are not explained in the story. Like for example the cube they are using in the movie. It's not necessary for the outcome of the main story, but it would have been nice had they actually given us a hint or two of what it's origins are.

But what really makes the film worth it is the acting. The cast is great. Chen Chang really carries the film. The actor who plays Hashimoto also is wonderful. You can see in his eyes that he is too obsessed with the case. You aren't quite sure whether too trust him or not. Yet you do feel like rooting for him since you can sense he is at the brink of discovering amazing.



It could be that some horror elements are a bit typical compared to other Asian horror films. Honestly, I never had a problem with this since the few scares in the films are very effective. But these scares are secondary to the mystery. The mystery itself is very compelling and you very gladly want to dive into it. Even upon a second viewing the mystery elements remain strong. The horror ones little less so. However there is a little sense of dread and tension felt throughout.

Overall this certainly will be worth your time if alone for the wonderful blend of genres.

This is not the best movie that I have ever seen, but it comes very close. In fact, I haven't had the experience of being at the edge of my seat for a long time now, but for this movie, I was constantly at the edge of my seat. And that's saying something.

The idea is effectively new, and interestingly captivating. The story itself is cohesive and very sophisticated, something that recent movies lack. The writer uses science to explain supernatural phenomenons like ghosts (no, it is not the Matrix assimilating a program that is doing what it is not supposed to do). And it's no simple science we are talking about here. Although I could understand the story, my friend who is a college IT lecturer couldn't. On top of that, the writer can even anticipates what the audience will ask. Every time I came up with a question, one of the characters on-screen asks that very same question. As can be expected from the writer who wrote Double Vision (although I didn't really understand that movie as a whole - but it was a good story nevertheless). Characters developments were immensely heart-wrenching, although it was only focused on two characters. There was a scene where I actually closed my eyes and turned away from the screen, and I was crying.

The editing and plot were superbly done. For a movie that could have bored the audience easily, this movie interlaced long explanation sequences with actions and scare scenes. This is the main reason why I was at the edge of my seat. I kept waiting for the answers but at the same time being caught in the action on-screen. Brilliant! The acting was the next commendable area of the movie. Chang Chen gave a very solid performance as both a cop and a son in distraught. Karena Lam also gave a memorable performance here as a woman who is willing to sacrifice for love. Yosuke Eguchi's performance reminds me of Tadanobu Asano's performance in Ichi The Killer. Although less masochistic, Hashimoto's character gave you the sense of someone who has a strong hold on his own believes, and he is willing to go further than most people to get what he wants. Yosuke Eguchi was brilliant as Hashimoto, being able to bring out that pain and stubbornness within the character. The casting director should get an award for this alone.

Art direction was very good. The building of the set was not only believable, but also gave out the correct atmosphere to compliment every aspect of the movie. There are no overkills like those you see in Pulse. The backgrounds were nicely done, and house decorations are kept to a realistic level. No unnecessary marks on the walls, no abundance of abandoned furniture, and definitely no worms squirming on leftover food or unwashed dishes. An abandoned apartment looks like an abandoned apartment. Just look closely on the beginning sequence and you will see what I mean.

Camera works were good and innovative, but more importantly, there were effective. The lighting was perfectly done. I got goosebumps just from the atmosphere alone.

With those said, let's look at the negative side of the movie. Directing was not very strong here. No fatal mistakes were made by Su Chao-Bin, but there were nothing much to impress either. My only major complain is the scare scenes. They were by far the worst ideas I have ever seen. It was still good in the beginning, but towards the end, they were downright funny and unimaginative. Those who came up with the ideas, and those who approved them, should be shot in the kneecap. This movie can be really scary if only the scenes were done right. What an unfortunately and unnecessary weakness.

The music was insignificant. I can't recall really, if there were any background music to accompany the movie. They just don't register. It didn't help the movie, but at least it didn't ruin it. Also, I don't really like the multi-lingual dialogs. More often than not, I find myself switching between listening to the dialogs and reading the subtitles, which in this movie where many explanations were essentials (and often very long), it can be easy to get lost. Why? Because the characters often switch languages right in the middle of a conversation! Also, I don't care much about the politics portrayed in the movie.

It could work just as well with only one country being involved in the case. How many Japanese can speak perfect Mandarin, and vice versa? Overall, the movie was good, very good, but it could have been great. Maybe if I directed the movie...