Inugami, l'esprit du mal

This is a drama-fantasy about two Bonomiya families in the computer age, shunned by villagers because of the legendary curse of the Inugami (wild dog deities), supposedly borne by the women. It focuses on gentle spinster Miki Bonomiya (Yuki Amami). Her mother Tomiè (Shiho Fujimura) quietly/firmly rules the 'lower home'. She and surly/Internet-wise brother Takanao (Kazuhiro Yamaji) are strong believers of the curse. Miki and her younger sister Rika (Myu Watase) refute the curse. Takanao's oft-battered wife Sonoko (Shion Machida) and their children are innocent bystanders. Seiji Doi (Eugene Harada), from the 'main home', firmly sides with Miki.

Dramatic changes occur after a new teacher Akira Nutahara (Atsuro Watabe) meets Miki. He is entranced by her skill in fine paper-making (for calligraphy) and her placid beauty. Miki becomes suddenly youthful and sensuous as they begin a passionate affair. Villagers begin to gossip about their affair. Then, tension mounts as tragedies in the village are blamed on the curse of Inugami and long-hidden secrets, involving Miki and Takanao, are slowly revealed. The culmination is the annual ancestral Shinto rites in which Takanao decides on Miki as the human sacrifice to appease the dog deities.

Yuki Amami played the male roles in the decades-famous all-women Takarazuka Revue.

The summary could seem right hadn't I seen 12 movies this weekend at the Fantasporto film festival. And Inugami was quite frankly the most odd, slow, and incomprehensible of all. Don't ask me why, I came out like I stared at a wall for two hours. Even when I tried to make some sense of it, nothing worked. In its essence, the movie talks about a family whose women are cursed. But perhaps it's me, the story is quite difficult to follow. The people seem to wander around, I didn't understand any of it. But I respect it, afterall there are people who liked it. Anyway, luckily they won't catch me seeing this one again.

A mini-festival spared me the bother of buying this, and gave the opportunity of seeing it on a large screen. "Inugami" opens with an aerial shot of a two-lane following the low winding juncture of two lushly forested mountains. It's the kind of landscape that inspires Hayao Miyazaki. At the end of the line, find a small, insular, modern-day village, on whose outskirts a not-old old-maid follows generations-old traditions making very fine paper.

Our out-of-town protagonist falls in love with the paper-maker. Small town tensions, based both in the present and in the past, simmer, boil, explode.

Not great, but worth seeing for the scenery and paper-making alone. Put's me in mind of Mitsuo Yanagimachi's 1985 "Himatsuri."

INUGAMI is an interesting yet drawn out film. Though there are many wonderful aspects to the film (location, cinematography, directing) they just don't save the film from many bouts of tedium. The most overdone aspect being the Tomie character. However, for those who do give this film a chance they will surely be treated to an above par thriller set in a quiet village virtually disconnected from the rest of the world. Here, not only does everyone know each other's name but they know their secrets as well. This concept alone is easily fun to play with and we are treated to it quite nicely as we (the viewer) learn the secrets of the village along with Akira (a school teacher, and outsider) who has just arrived in the town.

Personally, I felt the film should have omitted a few of the middle scenes of the movie involving Takanao. He had a certain mystique about him near the beginning, but with each additional scene involving him I felt a lack of interest growing. Also, I couldn't help but feel bored around every group meeting which took place in the film (of which, there are many). For some reason, it just didn't feel like they were getting anything accomplished asides from re-stating the basic purpose of the Bonomiya. These scenes were just so disinteresting, especially nearing the end.

Also, from a western point of view, the whole idea of loyalty to a certain job, no matter what the cost, seems trying at times. This is basically a problem most westerners have with many Asian films. The sense of honour and commitment seems to also be a foreign thing to North American audiences. I have watched other Asian films, less engaging than this one. While watching the other films, I found myself very interested and downright intrigued by the "honour" aspect. But here, in INUGAMI, honour is certainly not essential. Even morality is utterly useless as the depraved truth is revealed.

I really wanted to love this film, as I mentioned before there were good things going for it. However, I'm to conflicted by so many other things about the movie. This film is definitely not for everyone especially those who are attracted to the film due to it's underlying "horror" theme.

You don't see any ugly demons strolling the streets, you only see the ugliness of human beings who have steeped themselves in tradition and the past. The two things which have been responsible for the downfall of so many organizations, societies, and people.

Oh, and the music was rank!

I recently watched the Japanese film 🇯🇵 Inugami (2001) on Shudder. The story follows a schoolteacher who relocates to a quiet town, starts a new class, and begins a romance with a local woman. His new love interest, however, comes from a family with a mysterious past-one he initially brushes off, until strange occurrences begin to unravel both around him and throughout the town. Soon, he starts to question whether the old rumors might actually be true...

Directed by Masato Harada (Gunhed), the film stars Yûki Amami (Countdown), Shiho Fujimura (Zatoichi's Cane Sword), Atsurô Watabe (The Flowers of War), and Makoto Togashi (Cure).

This is definitely a film that won't be for everyone. It's a slow burn, with an eerie atmosphere and unique story elements. The world is well built and immersive, but the pacing can drag, and there's a sense that more could-and should-be happening. On the plus side, the corpse effects are creative and the autopsy scenes are particularly imaginative. The setting, especially the family home, becomes increasingly sinister as the film progresses, and there are some genuinely unsettling moments as the mystery unfolds.

The conclusion ties the mythology and plot together in a satisfying way, though it would've been stronger with a more engaging buildup.

In conclusion, Inugami offers enough intrigue and atmosphere to keep you curious, but not quite enough action or momentum to stand out in the genre. I'd give it a 6/10 and recommend it only if you're in the mood for a moody, measured supernatural drama.