Within the horror genre, still the most lasting effect any director wishes to create is a sense of dread which stays in the viewer's mind long after the end credits have rolled. As effective horror clings onto our fears and nightmares, the greatest monsters are those we do not see and merely sense, an effect only few films can claim to have on their audience. Indeed one of the most simple, yet common fears has to do with being watched and observed in our every moment, during our most private and weakest moments, a concept movies as diverse as Alfred Hitchcock's “Psycho” and Michael Powell's “Peeping Tom” are founded on. Given her background in the genre, Japanese director Mari Asato is aware of the human fear of being observed, but also of being neglected and of no importance to the world around you, which is the foundation of her new feature “Under Your Bed”.
“Under Your Bed” is screening at Nippon Connection 2020
Ever since his childhood, Naoto (Kengo Kora) has been neglected and ignored by his parents, his classmates and especially by girls, to the point not even the fact he was missing from his class photo was noticed by anyone but himself. Obviously, when someone addresses him and talks to him, he feels quite special, especially when this person is Chihiro (Kanako Nishikawa). After they have had some coffee together and she expressed interest in his hobby, the breeding of guppies, Naoto becomes obsessed with her, even though a second meeting does not take place for quite some time.
Years later, after he finally found out where she lives, Naoto sets up his own fish store in the vicinity of where Chihiro, now married and a mother, lives with her husband. As he observes the couple, even sneaking into her home when Chihiro's husband is gone, he eventually finds out how she is been abused and humiliated by him. While still wanting to keep his distance, he now also feels a need to act and stop Chihiro's husband.
Check also this interview
In one of the early moments, actually a recurring image in the film, Naoto explains how his existence can be compared to the life of certain bugs living underneath rocks. During his nearly incessant voice-over during the story of the film and his obsession, it becomes apparent how the image becomes compelling and bitter at the same time for him. Similar to the guppies he observes through the glass of the aquarium, he needs this kind of distance, the fantasy of getting closer to be his aim, in this case, Chihiro's company, without actually approaching this step. Naoto is an interesting, yet creepy character who prefers staying under the rock and being ignored by his surroundings as the fantasy of taking action is quite enough for him. Kengo Kora's performance certainly highlights these psychologically disturbing elements of his character, whose obsession combined with the dilemma of being forced to act slowly but surely consumes him.
However, while this might give the film's narrative some psychological depth, it also confronts the viewer with a troublesome dilemma. The perspective of what is essentially a stalker or peeping tom, the view through his binoculars or telescope become our view as well, adding to the discomfort you feel with the central character. Especially in the scenes during which Naoto actually witnesses the physical abuse of Chihiro, become quiet disturbing, considering what he does is psychological abuse, not matter how much his voice-over romanticizes these facts.
In the end, “Under Your Bed” is a challenging psychological horror movie given its consistent narrative from the eyes of the abuser. In times of being politically correct and artists treading carefully, to actually make a film as challenging as this is quite noteworthy, even if its conclusions fails to convince.
