While theme or message driven narratives can be quite interesting, there are also those which make the mistake of emphasizing what they want to say over other aspects, such as characters, plot development or atmosphere. In the end, what could have been a great film or novel is just really dire or rather tough like a steak fried for too long, which is especially annoying when it comes to genre filmmaking. Perhaps this is the reason Japanese director Zenzo Sakai has stated he rather aims for making features, which the audience might find interesting, rather than concentrating on a theme or message. In his short feature “Psychology Counselor” the director and screenwriter of Makoto Shinozaki's “Since Then” and “Sharing” aims for atmosphere and characters, resulting in an intriguing psychological thriller which includes elements of horror.
Psychology Counselor is screening at Skip City International D-Cinema Festival
Mami (Mutsumi Suzuki) has been a psychology counselor for many years and is quite successful at her job, mostly doing couple's therapy. One day, a woman, Akemi (Maki Nishiyama), enters her office without an appointment, claiming she is in desperate need for some help because she has visions of a ghost that has been haunting her for two days. Realizing her new patient in quite a lot of a stress, Mami agrees and lets Akemi tell her story of how the visions began, but also how these relate to her affair a few years ago with a delivery man. The young woman explains how the affair unfolded, how the urge took over her, so she had to meet up with him numerous times, until she became pregnant and was forced to quit her job. As Akemi's story becomes increasingly stranger, Mami observes how her own life seems to be linked to it mysteriously, resulting in surprising and unsettling revelations about her patient and herself.
Even though the director was aiming for a narrative less driven by themes, the whole concept of the story taking place during a therapy session already hints at concepts like control and submission. Over the course of 42 minutes, the two characters seem to engage in a suspenseful game of chess, with each new move leading to what could be a new revelation, but also a trap for one of them to step into (or possibly the viewer too). The tense atmosphere between the two protagonists is emphasized by the performances of Mutsumi Suzuki and Maki Nishiyama, who are both excellent as two characters who are both relatable but also ambivalent and enigmatic, making the ending even more surprising.
Given its focus on psychological horror, Sakai's feature also relies heavily on its atmosphere and aesthetics. Aside from the tasteful cinematography by Ryotaro Kawaguchi, this is further established by Tatsuhiro Nishiyama's lighting and Mari Suzuki's sound design elevating the rather minimalist setting into something more maze-like, seemingly playing with the idea of blending reality, dream and the subconscious.
In the end, “Psychological Counselor” is a quite tense and engaging little blend of psychological thriller and horror. Given his talent for establishing atmosphere and interesting characters, it would be a shame if Zenzo Sakai would not use these skills in a longer feature, delving deeper into the genres he explores in this short movie.
