Dark Water (2002) [Take One]

Directed by Japanese horror master Hideo Nakata, Dark Water (Honogurai mizu no soko kara Ive no idea why the Japanese title is so long thus supporting Bill Murrays wonderment of the language in Lost in Translation), pretty much falls in line with Nakatas previous films, namely Ringu (199 and Ringu 2 (1999). (He also directed The Ring Two (2005) and wrote the English language remake of Dark Water called Dark Water but lets not confuse matters.) Stories involving mothers and their prepubertal daughters have become a trademark of East-Asian horror, and this is no different; although, in an attempt to elevate the material, Nakata has tried to incorporate some social commentary. Yoshimi Matsubara (Kuroki Hitomi) has recently gotten a divorce from her husband (Fumiyo Kohinata) but shes still involved in a custody battle over their 6-year-old daughter, Ikuko (Rio Kanno). Due to Ikukos age, Yoshimi is at an advantage despite her husbands best efforts, but she needs to stabilize her life, and in order to do so, shes moved into a new apartment even though it seems like a less than ideal place. Initially, things seem to be okay until Yoshimi gets dogged by hallucinations of a young girl in a yellow raincoat with her red lunch bag which may have a connection to her past. Also, the ceiling of the apartment starts to drip through the ever widening stain. For long stretches, Dark Water feels like a minimalist relationship drama so many genre fans are bound to be disappointed. It certainly doesnt help that this film, which was released to much success in Japan 3-years-ago, has taken this long to reach our shores. The problem being that this material has mutated into so many shapes that for many itll be hard to tell between the original and a copy. Alls not lost though. Nakata stages a couple of remarkable sequences in the final third of the film including one in an apartment besieged by water. Production values are top notch, but the film couldve benefited from a better leading performer. Ultimately, Nakata also falters by revealing someone who was making more of an impression otherwise.