Following his previous shorts, “Whole” and “Echoes from a Bridge”, Bilal Kawazoe makes almost a U-turn, by focusing on a story of vampires, although not exactly in genre terms, with his latest work, “Indigo Mourning”.
“Indigo Mourning” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
In a world where vampires and humans coexist, Ren, a vampire, deeply mourns a beloved human who took her own life after being bitten by their mutual friend, Kazuki, a colleague of his in the company he works for. Throughout the story, Kazuki is revealed as a true predator, always looking at women in a “devouring” fashion, in a concept that is could also be perceived as a metaphor for sexual predators. Nevertheless, Ren is determined to bring him to justice, and to do so, invites him for drinks in order to drug him. His plan however, does not go as planned.
Bilal Kawazoe directs a visually impressive film, with the initial scene in the futuristic graveyard, and the finale, being the apogees of this trait, while making true on the title in the most direct fashion. As such, Takei Toshiyuki's cinematography emerges as one of the best traits of the short, along with the overall coloring. Apart from that, the short focuses on the concepts of crime and punishment, and subsequently, revenge, while making an eloquent comment about how some men perceive women just as pleasure vessels. Kazuki's attitude, in that fashion, makes him a true villain, although his actions are essentially either implied or mirrored in Ren's behavior, rather than actually being depicted on film. Takahiro Konishi's acting as Kazuki, however, does not leave much to imagination, even through that approach.
Kai Sandy as Ren, on the other hand, presents a character that is quite layered, as his will to become a vigilante soon clashes with an overall abandonment and a realization that his actions are more about soothing himself rather that giving justice to his friend, in the rather somber scene that concludes the short. As such, Kawazoe's comment about vigilante acts rings quite loud.
Also of note here is the overall atmosphere, as it is shaped by the acting, the cinematography, Kawazoe's own editing that results in a relatively slow pace, and the sound, the sum of which communicates that something sinister is taking place or it is about to happen.
Overall, “Indigo Mourning” emerges as a rather appealing short, although a sense that this story would work much better as a feature, mostly because it would allow the director to actually show what happened, remains.
