Cold Fish

Every now and then I come across a title that speaks to me. Now don't take me the wrong way, I don't necessarily mean that I can relate to it but it sends a message and reminds us of what we humans are really capable of. In the dark of all Hollywood movies, Japanese action-movies and romantic comedies that flood the box offices lie small gritty and pitch black movies that just wait to be found by those who can handle it.

This isn't a movie for those that only like mindless gore like Saw or Hostel. Instead it delves deep into the darkness we humans can fall into and it doesn't let us out even once. Someone wrote that those who are into dark comedies could take a liking to this movie, I'd say that if you take this on as a dark comedy then you're missing the point of the movie and shouldn't be watching it in the first place. For that purpose there are far more gory "entertainment" out there to laugh or giggle at.

If you're a fan of really dark thrillers with drama and characters with depth then you'll definitely love this movie. Others may love it as well but at the very least you should not watch this if you have a weak heart, and that's not only due to the gore in this movie. I'd go so far as to say that in terms of atmospheric darkness not even the Vengeance Trilogy comes close. This becomes even more apparent due to the fact that this movie is loosely based on events that truly have transpired.

I'm not gonna' delve into the story of the movie as I myself lose a lot of the surprise when I hear about a movie like this. I hope I've been of help and that you'll be ready to see what may be your darkest movie yet (if you're able to not try and laugh it off).

After been shocked and transformed in Miike's transgressive "Visitor Q" a decade ago, I once again find a movie that hits me in the face and that I will be thinking about for days, weeks, months and years to come. Once again it was at FantAsia Film Festival. And once again, it is a Japanese movie. On a Japanese art side note, if you want to see something as deranged in the traditional theatre, please see Daisuke Miura's wordless and sexmore modern society social commentary play "Yume no shiro" which I had the chance to see this year to a sold out crowd of 18+.

If you thought Shion Sono's "Suicide Club" was strange, you are in for a big surprise. This time Sono goes deep like sonar. After having seen "Cold Fish" (aka Tsumetai nettaigyo), I was literally high on naturally occurring chemicals, hormones and neurotransmitters in my body. I was happy, I had laughed a lot (in a very dark humour type of way) and I had had my limits pushed and pushed constantly during the movie. It was a kind of a delightful post-traumatic film syndrome. I talked about it extensively with my film buff friend Serena who enjoyed it as much as me and also happened to have lived in Asia for 18 months. It was amazing to have been able to share the experience with her (thought, talked, laughed, slack-jawed, awed, disbelieved the odd, etc.) and discuss it engagingly afterwards in all film and cultural aspects. After that night, I have been thinking about it for almost a week. I am still not sure I have completely digested it, but I am sure I have thoroughly enjoyed it and it is time I share a bit of my thoughts on it without giving too much away.

Firstly this story is a rather simple and straightforward story. A normal family with normal family problems meets an eccentric and friendly couple. Everything happens realistically and we embark in this world readily. A world of exotic fish and astronomy, of new hot wives and estranged daughter, of averageness and contemplative rain. We find a few things strange, but not much stranger than our own lives. We also enjoy the quick bonds formed between strangers, the charisma and the enigma.

Then things start to happen very fast, and before you know it you have been there bewildered for two hours and a half. Yet, everything is methodically paced, all the elements are expertly placed, nothing is gratuitously in your face. The movie follows a spiraling down into chaos with grace. The music suits every scene and noticeably shine on many occasions. The cinematography encompasses our imagination. The director plays with our thoughts and emotions. The actors immerse themselves in their characters while been in impossible situations. Everything is believable. This is based on a true story, but this is undoubtedly truer, realer… suspense, thriller. Michael Jackson has nothing on this. And yes, some people do die in this movie. The who, how and why is the question and especially the way it is deliberately delivered.

The movie has depth with many metaphors and metamorphoses. It is very psychological in its vision. It cuts through the crap like a colon incision. In the end, nothing is missing. Perfectionism. Perfection.

Close-minded people please abstain. This movie leaves you with a beautiful ineffaceable stain.

Even though the protagonist (Shamoto) is an adult, this is essentially a coming-of-age movie in a doomed world. Shamoto is introduced to Murata, a psychopath. Everyone seems to do what Murata wants them to, including Shamoto's wife and daughter. Shamoto tries to go against the grain, to say 'I don't want things to be like this.' But he finds himself alone against everything and has to learn some unpleasant truths about the world.

This is a very bleak movie and over-the-top in its negativity. It can be hard to watch at times but the violence is not gratuitous. It serves a purpose. The (brilliant) ending would not have the same impact without what came before.

Even though this is a crazy, overblown movie about a psycho killer, it only uses that as framework to address more universal issues of abuse, authority, dependency and responsibility.

I don't usually write reviews here. Just wanted to defend a very good, tragic and thought-provoking movie. This is definitely not just more gore for gore's sake.

Mild mannered Nobuyuki Shamoto (Mitsuru Fukikoshi), owner of a modest tropical fish shop, lives with his pretty teenage daughter Mitsuki (Hikari Kajiwara) and surprisingly hot second wife Taeko (Megumi Kagurazaka); sadly, the women in his life do not see eye to eye (to put it mildly). When Mitsuko is caught shoplifting, Yukio Murata (Denden), a successful businessman who also sells exotic aquatic livestock, steps in and gets Mitsuki off with a warning. Brash, charismatic, and cunning Murata uses this as an opportunity to begin manipulating the grateful Shamoto family, offering desperate Mitsuki a job as one of his store girls (all of whom are pretty, and wear tight vests and short shorts!), bringing meek Yukio under his wing as his apprentice, and sneaking a shag with the not-very-content Taeko.

Murata also reveals to a Nobuyuki his unique method of dealing with difficult acquaintances: he poisons them and then, with help from his obedient and rather sexy wife Aiko (Asuka Kurosawa), takes the bodies to a remote shack where he makes them 'disappear' (ie., chops them up, burns the bones, and sprinkles the remains in the woods). When Murata insists that Yukio help dispose of a victim, he is too shocked and scared too refuse; now, as an accomplice to murder, he finds himself trapped by the over-bearing and frankly quite scary Murata—fearful not only for himself, but also for the lives of his wife and daughter.

However, a man can only be pushed so far: after several more stomach-churning visits to the shack, learning of his wife's infidelity, suffering a beating from Murata, and being forced to have sex with Aiko (the poor guy!), Nobiyuki finally snaps, attacking Mr and Mrs Murata with a biro (not the greatest of weapons, perhaps, but it does the trick). Now it is time for Yukio Murata to disappear, with Mrs. Murata only too happy to help, clearly turned on by the fact that Nobiyuki has at last grown a pair. The now empowered Nobiyuki also sets about straightening out his ungrateful wife and daughter, using methods definitely NOT sanctioned by most family guidance counsellors.

Other reviews here on IMDb comment on what a harsh viewing experience Cold Fish is, with its brutal murders, bodily dismemberment, rape and in your face gore; but while it's certainly not what I'd call family viewing, I wasn't too fazed by the extreme content, finding much of the film darkly humorous rather than disturbing (but then I've watched a fair few gruesome Asian movies in my time, and am probably a tad desensitised). Indeed, I was ready to dismiss the film as a far-fetched and overlong wish-fulfilment fantasy for downtrodden Japanese males, when I decided to watch the interview with investigative journalist Jake Adelstein on the extras disc, something that altered my perception of the film slightly. Although the beginning of Cold Fish had stated that it was based on a true story, I had taken this with a large pinch of salt (so many movies make this wild claim); as it happens, most of what director Shion Sono depicts proves to be not all that far from the truth (at least until Nobiyuki snaps), making his film a lot more chilling in retrospect.

This is a very bleak look at violence in general. While the movie starts of very slowly and more like a drama you could be excused for thinking it spins out of control. But even if you don't agree with the actions the characters are taking (mostly the only "logical" steps for them), you can't escape the grip and intensity the movie has. It does a very superb job in holding that throughout.

The acting is great (sometimes even sublime) and while you may feel like looking away, you might not be able to, because it does hold your attention with a very fine script. Not for the faint of hearted of course, this will appeal to some people, but also will appall quite a few others. But as a work of art this is within it's boundaries very good indeed!