Shiryôha

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467684/
a.k.a. Dead waves
Nothing remains after death. It´s like clicking of a tv set.
Hiroshi Usui (Toshihiro Wada) works on a tv show called Spirit sightings, he or the rest of the crew doesn´t believe in the uncult or spirits, for them it is just a job.

Mr Usui and his team are about to shoot a new program on this girl Runa ( Shihori Kanjiya) who are told to be possessed.
Hiroshi is tormented by the death of his girlfriend a year ago, we´ll find out a bit into the movie - the entire movie is only in 77 minutes - that the death of his girlfriend have something to do with the ever raising numbers of suicides. Suicides that are linked to his show.

If you are gonna watch this in hope to see something like the masterpiece Ringu, then you are wrong. Shiryôha is as much a sad drama with ghosts/spirits as it is an horror/ghost movie.

I have personally mixed feelings about this one. First I liked the idea on the take on possessed/obsessed people and how the natural obsession - the obsession of a tv show in this case - can bring you down.
Sometimes the editing of Shiryôha is not good, but it gives me the feeling it is intentional, since they might have wanted to create an realistic ”tv show feeling” to the entire movie. Unfortunatly on the dvd there are no extras or behind the scenes that explain some of the thoughts of Yôichirô Hayama the directors intentions he co wrote the script with Kayo Kanô.

A scene shows clearly how little the team believes in the spirit world, it is a funny scene actually. The art director Taniguchi says he has something interresting to show Hiroshi on their website. What we all suspect is that the phenoms has spread, but, instead he joyfully shows when a girl has written “ The direktor Hiroshi is cute” and a girl has answered “So´s the AD, Taniguchi” he with a smile on his face says; They think I´m cute.

Hiroshi and Taniguchi














Shiryôha and White Noise http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375210/
Are basicly on the same theme, they both came out in 2005

Shiryôha isn´t a must watch, not an avoid either, take note that this is lowbudget and you have to think while watching.
So if you feel like a japanese ghost horror movie is something that may sounds like your deal, wait untill you have seen more well known - better - movies and then come back to Shiryôha. It is after all an interesting take on the ghost phenomena since it actually questions if it is real or if it´s a mental thing.

However, the ending is something I really really liked.

The ending is near













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I told you not to go upstairs!!!
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- Please don´t show me on tv.
- I regret showing your face.
- it´s not that. “The´re” angry.
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Trailer
http://www.nipponcinema.com/trailers/dead-waves-trailer/