Tomie

Having been a huge fan of Junji Ito's works (Uzumaki, Tomie, Hellstar Remina) I will do my best to refrain from comparing the manga to the film. NOTE: if you enjoyed the movie, reading the Tomie manga is highly recommended!

Tomie is unlike your typical horror movie where a wraith is lurking down the corridor or the ominous creaking floorboards in a closed room. This one is more subtle and effective at setting an atmosphere where you just know something is not right. I enjoyed the performance by Tomorowo Taguchi as the detective who's agenda is also questionable in this whole affair. Tsukiko (played well by Mami Nakamura) is for the most part in the dark as to what's going on. As time progresses, she begins to come to terms with recent strange events and how they are linked to a shrouded unknown past.

One thing to note: the Tomie manga excels at setting a dark, frightening mood and facial expressions (especially Tomie's) convey strong emotions of pain, fear, anger, betrayal, and obsession; a credit to Ito's talent. Watching the film draws you into the phenomenon of Tomie and is accompanied by an eerie soundtrack sounding like ambient, psychedelic music done by Buffalo Daughter..great stuff!

Based on a manga, and spawning four sequels, this film is about a young lady named Tsukiko (Ms. Nakamura) who has enlisted the help of a psychiatrist (Ms. Doguchi)to try to remember the events of 3 years before, described as an "accident". You find that a fellow schoolgirl named Tomie (Ms. Kanno) was killed, but no one can find the body..because she won't die. This film is more psychological drama than horror film. In the apartment below Tsukiko lives a male student who seems to be raising some mutant strain of something in a box. Is this Tomie re-incarnated? The film moves slowly, and even drags a little at times, but for fans of the manga it is essential viewing. A much better film than it has to be, its watchable. All 5 films are available in a box set. For this film, the concept is intriguing if not wholly essential.

Tomie is a teenager who has the power to corrupt any man with her looks, she has complete control over any man and makes total use of her control. When she is done, she tosses them aside and moves onto another man. The heartbroken man will generally kill her, but that is exactly what she wants. Tomie is based on a manga series from the late 80's and what sounds like a great idea on paper just doesn't really translate well onto the big screen.

This first film in the successful Tomie franchise is rather weak and confusing. First off, it seems like the director automatically assumes you are familiar with the characters and the manga and doesn't really explain what is going on until maybe thirty minutes in. It also doesn't help that many of the scenes don't particularly flow well or make much sense adding to an even more confusing experience.

The acting is fine, but Miho Kanno who plays Tomie never really comes off as seductive and instead just seems creepy all the time. No real thrills or suspense either unfortunately. The film does win points on it's creepy soundtrack though.

* & 1/2 out of ****

A slow-burning supernatural drama that's nothing like RING or THE GRUDGE for once. Instead, TOMIE is a comic-book adaptation about an otherwise ordinary schoolgirl who has one special talent: she always, without fail, comes back from the dead.

TOMIE is a weird movie. It's slow-moving and subtle for the most part, and the sometimes disjointed storyline never really visits many places. Horrifying it isn't. On the other hand, it's undoubtedly an atmospheric film full of off-kilter scenes and eerie moments (most of these involving a guy who finds himself 'growing' a new friend).

It's difficult to fault the efforts of cast and crew, and the highlight is the wonderfully weird piece of music that accompanies the titles in which a distorted, computerised voice proclaims an obsessive friendship. Many sequels, of varying quality, followed.

I really enjoy this film. I've watched it twice - trying desperately to figure out what the hell happened at the end, but to no avail. Strangely though, I still find myself in love with it. I think it had has a great deal to do with Miho Kanno's performance. And also the mood. And that's what it is: a mood movie. I can excuse the plot. I think I'd rather be confused by a plot than have a badly filmed, acted and directed movie. It's kind of artsy to me. If you're looking for a horror movie that makes perfect sense, and will make you say, 'wow, that's clever!' go home. But if you're in a strange mood, and it needs feedin', go for it!