Ryo Matsumoto, who is known for his compositional approach to horror films, has directed more than 100 horror productions to date, with the “Psychic Manjara” series counting 47 entries to date. “Requiem” is one of his numerous to come out in 2023.
Requiem is screening at Japan FilmFest Hamburg
Rika Uehara disappeared from her home on the night of November 5, and her mother, Mariko, has called the Itakura Agency to deal with the case. Itakura leaves the case to his associate, Makoto Otomo, who soon finds himself in the middle of a rather complicated endeavor. Rika’s sister, Suzu, who is suffering from multiple personality disorder is soon found in a shelter for women, while another detective soon emerges, revealing that Rika’s disappearance is actually part of a series of similar cases. Soma, Rika’s ex-boyfriend soon emerges within a bar he frequented with her, who is run by a sinister looking guy with a scorpion tattoo on his face, who is soon revealed to have ties with the yakuza. With his ‘associate’ Teppe, they proceed on blackmailing Rika’s mother, but they soon find themselves entangled in a case that ends up being too much for them. Gradually, the role of the women is revealed as something completely different.
Ryo Matsumoto evidently wanted to present an intricate story which would combine crime on various levels, the supernatural and horror in equal proportions. However, what he ended up with is a rather convoluted narrative, which goes too far on a number of levels, to the point that there are times that even Matsumoto himself seems confused by the story. The whole thing was complicated to begin with, but the multiple personality disorder concept, the slight Rashomon effect and the mixture of reality with imagination complicated things to a point that there was no return from.
Apart from that, the movie is obviously low budgeted, with the visuals and the acting in particular being mediocre. On the other hand, this has allowed for some level of grittiness, which definitely suits the overall aesthetics, while the horror/violent scenes are quite good on occasion. The imagery of the red dress in particular works quite well, while the villain’s laughter, although excessive and somewhat overused, actually works well as a kind of soundtrack for the movie.
Saori Otaki in the role of Rika is quite appealing to watch, particularly in the horrific moments, with the same applying to Saeri Umehara. The male leads seems a bit too pretty and polished for such a film, although both Sho Higano and Fumitaka Kuroki do their best with their roles.
Filled with issues and very few traits, “Requiem” is a movie that would probably only appeal to completionists of low-budget J-horror films.
