Jisatsu Manyuaru (2003) The Suicide Manual

Directed by Osamu Fukutani

Starring Kenji Mizuhashi, Chisato Morishita

This is an ultra low budget film thats a variation on the Sixth Sense. Thats pretty much it except!

Suicide, what a topic of discussion especially when talking about Asian countries and Japan in particular. The basis of this film is an actual book that can be bought legitimately in Japan, The Complete Suicide Manual; this book gives the pros and cons of various types of suicide and even suggests good places to do it. I honestly couldnt imagine this book would be published in many if any other countries and shows the vast cultural difference between our various societies.

The majority of the film goes through this manuals ideas, hanging, carbon monoxide poisoning, jumping from heights (or one that seems to be prevalent in Japan) in front of trains plus many other methods. It also illustrates the growing culture of websites and groups associated with suicide; these are far scarier than the actual story and in a way quite depressing. The film itself is of quite a poor quality being filmed on video, little use has been made of lighting or any other method to enhance the picture and it appears quite flat.

The acting is okay at best and hammy at worst but this film is important to attain some understanding of the suicide culture in Asia. Since the financial crash in the late nineties, the suicide rate has increased dramatically, in 2003 alone there were 34, 427 confirmed deaths by suicide in Japan, an unbelievable figure!

Back to the film itself, it is a barely adequate ghost story that touches on a subject that is devastating, the fact that it uses The Complete Suicide Manual as its basis and contains disturbing images, some deeply disturbing just makes me wonder what the directors intentions were, exploitation or exploration? 

If the subject upsets you then avoid this film, it does give an insight into something most of us will never (luckily) contemplate or understand but what could have been interesting ends up being just another albeit fairly low quality horror film.

Cheers Trev

For a contemplative look at the after effects of suicide I would recommend Kore'eda's "Maborosi" or "Distance" which broaches the aftermath of group suicide.

BBFC rated 18 (for obvious reasons).

R2 Pal dvd available from Screen Entertainment.