Dark Water

Only gripe about it is that the case had a break in the extra disc holder on bottom clip. Not a shipping problem but probably a defect when it was put together for sales. Other than that product works fine and quality is great.

I have gotten to the point in watching horror films that when I watched the American production "Dead Birds" I was wondering if this was another adaptation of a Japanese horror film. Apparently the Japanese approach to the genre, which has become well established on this side of the Pacific because of the success of "The Ring" (nee "Ringu") and "The Grudge" (nee "Ju-on"). However, with "Dark Water" ("Honogurai mizu no soko kara") I found myself thinking how different this 2002 effort from director Hideo Nakata (who did the "Ringu" films) from contemporary American efforts in a different way. Too many American horror films go the route of "Jeepers Creepers," where there is a pretty good set up and then the film goes down hill and the payoff is disappointing in the extreme. But with "Dark Water" I was not overly captivated by the set up, but found that the payoff really hit home.At this point let me warn you that when you start watching "Dark Water" on DVD it goes right into the dubbed English track, at which point I start having flashes back to all of the badly dubbed Japanese movies I grew up on (which inevitably leads to thoughts of Woody Allen's "What's Up Tiger Lily?"). My strong recommendation is to stop the film and make sure you have the original Japenese language track and the English captions. Fans of the horror genre should be at the point where they can appreciate the natural language and rhythm of Japanese cast. Most of the key sequences here do not require you to do a lot of reading so it is not a great sacrifice and the nuances of the culture are totally lost in the dubbed version.Yoshimi Matsubara (Hitomi Kuroki) has divorced her husband and is in a custody battle for her six year old daughter, Ikuko (Rio Kanno). In an attempt to make a new start, mother and daughter move into an apartment, where strange things start happening. The weirdest are the huge water stains that appear on the ceiling and start dripping away and the red children's bag that start popping up every place Yoshimi goes. Then the dead child to whom the bag belongs starts showing up as well. So we have what we would now be thinking of as your basic Japanese ghost story. But there is a bit more going on here as well.You see, Yoshimi has some trouble being a working mom. She needs a job to survive, and too often Ikuko gets lost in the shuffle, which sometimes means the kids is left standing outside her kindergarten waiting for her mother when all of the other kids have left. As you would anticipate, there is an attendant irony in this as well. But the pressure is getting to Yoshimi who thinks that she is slowly going insane, which works well given all of the above. Characters in these sorts of movies often get so scared that they might go insane, complete with wild eyes and mad cackling, but you do not have them questioning their sanity as often."Dark Water" is a less complicated and more subtle horror story than "The Ringu," which is the obvious point of comparison since Nakata and his co-screenwriter Takashige Ichise did both films (the story here is from a novel by Kôji Suzuki. So it is inevitable that this film seems a lesser effort, but that does not really take away from its effectiveness. When we got to the conclusion I found that I liked what happened, and when the inevitable epilogue reinforced the fact, I liked it even more. I do not think this is a great horror film, but I think it is a solid one and I certainly liked it more than the original "Ju-on."

Dark Water is from the same director as the original Ring film (Ringu) among some other excellent works of Japanese horror-suspense that also went on to inspire Hollywood remakes. This film has recognizable creative themes and production for fans of this sub genre, if perhaps lacking the in-your-face impact of the others. This is more a slow burn, or perhaps more accurately a slow drip...adding up to a dark flooded limbo of tragedy. The acting and production are quite good. Director Hideo Nakata utilizes water like M. Night Shyamalan uses the color red in The Sixth Sense. I found this to be highly effective overall, resonates like an endless rainy day, basically throughout the entire film, rain, water, puddles, tanks, baths, sinks...water is everywhere and the creeping nemesis theme. If there is a down side effect, it's on towards the point of being overtly depressing, there is no positive beginning, middle, or ending to speak of here, not that one is required...it's just this is a sad dark film in it's entirety. I suppose that's the point and clearly done so by design. Sort of like the girl in the well from The Ring, except now she's in the apartment above yours, leaking down on you, soaking you in sadness and insanity. From it's moldy dank concrete and steel prison-like run down apartment environment to the cold uncaring or clueless characters represented throughout. It flows slowly from the start, drip drip drip. Which is appreciated on the one hand in building tension, on the other hand creating dams of frustration...or as the puns continue...water torture. Frustration portrayed on the behalf of the mother, who seems doomed to be cast as unfit and lose custody of her daughter as much as in the films audience at times due to the creeping pacing and ignorance of it's social worker type antagonists. There is a rising tide of helplessness, you may feel a compulsion to jump forward and get to some life preserver of resolution. If you can resist there are rewarding scenes along the way that fuel the ending, some inspiring dread, although this film lacks the jump scares of the likes of The Ring...it's a different take. More an emotional psychological exploration of troubled family relations in divorce. The complexities and pitfalls of a broken home environment with young children involved, the dark places they may find themselves in, and terrible abandonment. Turmoil and mental issues distracting from nurturing as they foster a continuation of despair to be carried on by the neglected innocent. All slowly rising like dark water manifesting as a wounded child spirit without a mother. Eventually...succumbing to this. There is that door left open a crack for a sequel, I'm glad there was.

Following his success with Koji Suzuki’s Ring series, Hideo Nakata had all the good reasons to adapt another story from that great author. And for this third collaboration, it would be a retelling of the novella Dark Water. A story about Yoshimi Matsubara, a divorced mother who works as proofreader and is struggling to keep the leadership on her daughter Ikuko.Following a tumultuous divorce and attorney fights with her ex-husband, it is up to Yoshimi to find a new home. So she settles in a run-down apartment block, inside a humid apartment where she realizes water keeps dripping from its upper levels, and where the water they drink is unfiltered. A situation that leaves indifferent the Apartment Tenant, which frustrates further Yoshimi. Though what is even more intriguing is how she keeps finding a red school bag around the building. A bag that constantly attracts the attention of Ikuko, while her mother notices more and more the presence of a little girl that keeps appearing and disappearing around the building. A little girl much similar to one who had disappeared a few years ago and who frequented Ikuko’s new kindergarten. A ghost who might endanger the life of the Matsubaras.Now on the boxset of the DVD release I purchased, the inter-title describes it as the most shocking film from the Director Hideo Nakata. A description I criticise because unlike the Ring Series which was a story of suspense and frights, Dark Water seemed more to me like a Supernatural Drama. One that tackled serious topics such as parents fights during divorce discussions between attorneys as to who should have the guardianship over their kids. Indeed, Yoshimi’s ex-husband reveals himself quite an unpleasant individual who isn’t afraid of spewing out nasty allegations and lies about his ex-wife, even resorting to a private detective to check into her past. Another topic worth mentioned is the bad management of apartment buildings, even more so when the sellers are aware of the atrocious quality, whether they are water-dripping ceilings or unfiltered water. Makes you realise how many of the problems that occurred to Yoshimi could have been averted had the apartment tenant been more professional. And like in Ring, the story dives into the topic of parents neglecting their children, which is indeed the heart of the mystery behind the ghost inside the apartment building. Whose names and circumstances I won’t reveal to not spoil the story. And certainly not the finale which I found both heartbreaking and bittersweet. One with many consequences for the Matsubaras.Now in its filming, the movie works a lot around water. Both in its lighting, which had beautiful filtered palettes, and many scenes that employ rain or water. Especially in the water-flooded apartments as you can see the water pouring from everywhere; which must have made quite exhausting scenes for the cast and crew to film. Indeed, such environment requires proper precautions to make sure the camera doesn’t get damaged and that the lighting is done properly.As for the actors, Hitomi Kuroki and Rio Kanno impressed me. Both of them worked perfectly together and seemed like a real family. And for Hitomi, I was amazed by her skills in portraying the emotional dramas her character was going through with her ex-husband. And for that, I applaud Hideo Nakata’s direction as he presented everything in a realistic manner and with such a dramatic flair.Kudos also to Kenji Kawai and Shikao Suga for doing a beautiful soundtrack in this film. Orchestral and moving, it reinforced the supernatural aspects of the story instead of treating it as a horror film.In conclusion, Dark Water is another movie that proves both the narrative talents of Hideo Nakata and Koji Suzuki’s storytelling skills. A masterpiece that everyone should take time to see.

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Matsubara Yoshimi (Hitomi Kuroki) ist endlich von ihrem Exmann Kunio Hamada (Fumiyo Kohinata) geschieden, einzig und allein um das Sorgerecht für die kleine 6 jahre alte Ikuho (Rio Kanno) wird noch mit gestritten. Der Ehemann versucht mit allen Mitteln das alleinige Sorgerecht für seine Tochter anzustreben, dabei schreckt er auch nicht davor zurück die psychischen Probleme die seine Frau vor Jahren hatte, beim Jugendamt zu erwähnen und gegen die eher labile und wenig belastbare Yoshimi auszuspielen.Die versucht aber dennoch ein ganz neues Leben alleine mit der Tochter aufzubauen. Sie besucht den neuen Kindergarten der Kleinen und mietet sich ganz in der Nähe in einem heruntergekommenen Block eine Wohnung.Sie hat Glück und findet eine Stelle im Büro, somit ist auch die Existenz der beiden gesichert.Die Wohnung selbst wirkt kalt und unheimlich, an der Decke ist ein Leck, doch vorerst schenkt sie diesem Wasserfleck an der Schlafzimmerdecke keine größere Bedeutung. Zumal der Hausmeister auch keine besonderen Anstalten macht, den Schaden zu beheben.Ganz subtil geschehen jedoch unheimliche Dinge im Haus. Die kleine Ikuko findet auf der Dachterrasse des Hauses eine rote Tasche, die wohl ein anderes kind dort verloren hat.Yoshima sieht Gestalten, die kurz erscheinen und dann wieder weg sind.Nach und nach tropft immer mehr Wasser von der Decke und von der oberen Wohnung, die leer steht, hört man trampelnde Laufgeräusche.Die Tasche, die von Yoshimi immer wieder in die Mülltonne entsorgt wird, taucht immer wieder in der Wohnung auf.Bald findet Yoshimi heraus, dass vor einiger Zeit in der Wohnung oben die kleine vermisste Kawai Mitsuko (Mirei Oguchi) mit ihrer Mutter gewohnt hat. Unheimlich wirkt auch der riesige Wasserbehälter auf der Dachterrasse, der ein großes Geheimnis in sich birgt.."Dark Water" ist ein japanischer Horrorfilm von Hideo Nakata, der durch seinen 1998er Film "Ringu" weltberühmt wurde und inzwischen erfolgreich in den USA "Ring 2" und in Großbritannien "Chatroom" Filme gedreht hat.Sein 2002 entstandener "Dark Water" ist ein sehr subtiler, stiller Horrorfilm, der seinem Titel sprchwörtlich verpflichtet ist: Nicht nur von der Decke tropft es, auch die Wohnung oben steht unter Wasser und der riesige Wasserbehälter strahlt Bedrohlichkeit aus. Es regnet auch die meiste Zeit im Film, Mutter und Tochter werden stets mit Wasser konfrontiert.Erst am Schluß löst der Film teilweise sein Geheimnis auf, denn da betritt die inzwischen 15jährige Ikuko (Asami Mizkawa) nach vielen Jahren noch einmal das Haus.2005 entstand ein US-Remake mit Jennifer Connelly in der Hauptrolle.Das ruhige Erzähltempo wirkt sich vor allem durch die latent bedrohliche Atmosphäre bestens auf die Geistergeschichte aus.

From the same stable as Ring and The Eye, this movie has the same feel - so very atmospheric, dark, cold and eerie. Unlike Ring, Dark Water gives you more scray action throughout (much of Ring's scary effects were at the end) and that serves better I think. The storyline is easy to guess early on, but that doesn't detract from the truly creepy moments that follow. I often did hide my face, knowing a scare was coming up - yet I am a seasoned horror fan.I loved this movie, but must agree with other reviewers that the ending rather let it down. The ending was, in a way, not even necessary and the movie would have sat better without it. As it is, the ending follows a really decent scary climax with something rather tame and cuddly - not in the same vein as the feel of the rest of the movie.Never mind though, the movie redeems itself simply by being yet another imaginative and effective horror movie from the increasingly popular Asia Extreme people. They're turning out some very good stuff and you should try to catch their other movies too.Don't worry about the ending - do yourself a favour and go for this movie; it is far better than many western horror efforts in recent years.

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