Kakashi

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0296032/
Long time ago in Japan, farmers used to burn human and animals hair, only to protect their fields from evil beasts and spirits. That was called Kagashi.
Later on, the farmers built manlike dolls in hope to scare the spirits, these dolls was called Kakashi; Scarecrows.

The legendary Itô Junji made a manga on the Kakashi myth. This is the movie based on the manga.
Kaoru Yoshikawa (Maho Nonami )

searches for her brother Tsuyoshi (Shunsuke Matsuoka who also starred as Chihiro´s boyfriend in the classic Furiizu Mii a.k.a. Freeze me) and in his apartment she finds a letter, inside the letter there are dried short straws wich has significant meanings to the story.
She goes to the small village Kozukata. Kaoru finds it and to get to the village she has to go trough a tunnel, most like Chihiro and her family does in Chihiro no kamikakushi http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245429/
It can be seen as a portal into another world.

Kaoru soon reaches the Kozukata village













While at Kozukata, Kaoru finds a lot of strange eerie people, just like you would expect from a Itô Junji adaptation (see Uzumaki for example). Among others she finds a woman with a perambulator, but in it is not a baby or an infant, but a scarecrow.

Kaoru then meets the Miyamori family, or atleast what´s left of it. Their daughter Izumi ( Kou Shibasaki from batoru rowaiaru and Chakushin ari ) has died and she was the one who have send the letter to Tsuyoshi as an invitation to the village, a village that co exists with death.

The director Norio Tsuruta is more or less perfect for this movie since he did made the third Ringu movie ( Ringu 0: Bâsudei ) a year before Kakeshi, 3 years after, he also did Yogen. Norio rely more on the story, characters and the atmosphere then on violent or chocking images/blood and gore. It is refreshing to see that, since a lot of movies nowadays tends to be brutal just for the brutalatys sake so to speak. Itô Junji is also a master of creating stories that captures you and he doesn´t either put gore into his stories.

The festival is about to begin













Kakashi is maby not your everyday horror, it´s built up and acted as a drama, with some mixes of heartbreaking scenes and also some unexplainable horror.
The horror is the unhumanlike humans (sounds wierd I know) in the village, they are more like spirits, cast under some spell with no facialexpression whatsoever. That is the scary thing, seeing these mindless walking bodies with no emotion staring at Kaoru as she arrives at this small village.

Kaoru meets, beside the Miyamori´s, Sari Chen/Gurêsu Ippu (actress Grace Yip ) who at first sight seems to be as all the others, so what is ”wrong” with all the people?
Sari is reported missing, we see her picture by the side of the road as Kaoru finds the village, soon Kaoru also finds the horrific and sad truth about the village. She also finds her brother. But will the villagers let them leave during this scarecrow festival?

The acting is topclass and special credits to Kou Shibasaki becouse she shows what she can do, even though her screentime is minimal.
The sceenery/cinematography is really really good and in some way ads to the sad story.
In the beginning of this review I mention that the farmers usel to burn hair, in the prefecture Tôhoku (located in northern Japan), more specially in the capital Yamagata helds a Kakashi festival each year. See more info below.

Izumi sneaks up on Kauro













If you feel like watching something different and beautiful at the same time (with a touch of sadness and, with the ”typical zombie ending”) I suggest you give Kakashi a try.
It may not give you chills or a wet eye, but it will touch you and that is what Itô Junji is so good at - his stories will not leave you that easy.

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The only real thing is your face.
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Official trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJQ2UuUi0xA

Fansite to Itô Junji
http://junjiito.trilete.net/

Official site for Yamagata city - in japanese
http://www.pref.yamagata.jp/

Official site for Yamagata city - in english
http://www.pref.yamagata.jp/ou/shokokanko/110012/kokusai/english/eindex.html

The 40th festival has been held, be sure to visit if you can.
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eventcalendar/search_result_en.php?num=737

Some pictures and info from the 38th festival
http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/1617993/


Izumi, Kou Shibasaki, will point at you if you don´t give this movie a watch