Even though it was originally planned as a trilogy, Japanese director Shinya Tsukamoto condensed the three stories into two, both of which centering on the “nightmare detective” or medium Kyoichi played by Ryuhei Matsuda. Whereas its predecessor may be regarded as a continuation of many themes the director has explored in his whole body of work until then, the sequel marks a deviation to some degree as it not only delves deeper into the hurt psyche of its main character, it also deals with ways of overcoming the trauma of existence, one of the core themes in the first movie. The result is a very intimate film, much more ambiguous and versatile from the former film, but suffering from a few technical issues.
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After the events of the first film, Kyoichi Kagenuma (Matsuda) has gained quite a reputation because of his abilities of entering people’s dreams and supposedly curing them from their nightmares. However, his activities have taken quite a toll since he has been suffering from nightmares himself lately, all of which dealing with his mother, her panic attacks as well as her eventual suicide. Unable to shake off these dreams, Kyoichi is again on a dark path, contemplating the idea of suicide once again, when he is contacted by 15-year-old Yukie (Yui Miura) begging him for his help because she also suffers from nightmares in which she is haunted by a fellow student of hers who has been missing for some time.
However, as Kyoichi finds out, the nightmares and visions stem from Yukie and her friends bullying the student, who has also been suffering from panic attacks. When Yukie’s friends admit they are having nightmares and one of them disappears, Yukie repeatedly begs Kyoichi for his help, believing he is the only one who can help her. Finally, as he decides to give in and enter her nightmares, he finds himself facing his own inner fears and his past.
Whereas the image of the city as a symbol for the character’s isolation was key in the first film, the heightened intimacy of the sequel finds its most fitting image in the recurring series of apartments in which the characters seems as if they are imprisoned. For characters such as Kyoichi and Yukie, the restricted space of the apartment, or rather their rooms, emphasize how their fears have become the bars for their seemingly impenetrable prison cell. Consequently, the supposed freedom of the dream mirrors the restrictions of the real world, as well as their trauma which they cannot escape from, other than by facing it. At the same time, even confronting the nature of one’s fear does not guarantee solace, peace or healing in any way, for the repercussions of the trauma still manifest themselves into the person’s psyche and body.
Additionally, Tsukamoto seems to raise the question whether fear is a constant element of our lives as well as a driving force. Within the character of Kyoichi, his fear inhibits him from helping others, adding to his growing frustration and depression, an idea highlighted through Ryuhei Matsuda’s sensitive performance. As he cries out “Is there anyone willing to rescue me for a change?” the viewer is able to get a glimpse of the grief in this man, a feeling which has taken over his whole existence. Both his and Yukie’s world are slowly falling apart, or are in disarray, a concept underlined by the (annoying) handheld camera, again feeding the idea of how the world of the dream and reality may become one, indistinguishable from one another.
“Nightmare Detective II” is a much more intimate film than its predecessor, offering more insight into Ryuhei Matsuda’s character as well as the concept of fear, as introduced in the first film. While the excessive use of handheld camera may also add to a viewer’s frustration (unlike in the first film), it is again Matsuda’s performance and the thematic depth which make the sequel to “Nightmare Detective” a worthwhile continuation.
