“Neu Mirrors” is a spin-off short film that attempts to answer certain unanswered questions of “New Religion” Keishi Kondo‘s impressive feature debut.
Neu Mirrors review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative
Through the first scenes, which begin upside down, and the eerie music and ominous voice, an atmosphere of ritualistic danger is immediately communicated, with the presence of Oka definitely adding to this sense. The story then changes setting to a dinner between Joel, the boss of a software company and his secretary, Mizuki. The man obviously has some romantic notions for her and something erotic is in the air, at least until it isn’t, as something completely different seems to be taking place. Another woman, Sayuri, soon appears and the narrative changes once more.
The way Kondo flows through horror, eroticism and thriller while retaining a sense of ritualistic disorientation emerges as one of the best traits of the movie, with the atmosphere being quite imposing throughout the 28 minutes of the short. The presence of Saori as the protagonist also adds to this atmosphere, with her presence actually dictating the narrative on occasion, with her being quite convincing in all the aforementioned styles.
Switching the reds of the original to the blues, Kondo retains the intense coloring that was one of the best traits of “New Religion”, with the visuals in general being quite impressive once more. Particularly the way the two give their stead to each other, in a way that can be described as a battle of colors, is quite intriguing to watch, and indicative of the prowess of the cinematography here. The mirror scenes, the close ups to Mizuki’s hands, and the music video of the ending cement the audiovisual quality, with the work of DP Sho Mishina being of the highest caliber as is the case with the editing and the sound.
Although some knowledge of the original will definitely benefit the viewer of “Neu Mirrors” the atmosphere and the audiovisual quality here are enough to deem the short one worth watching by anyone. Now we just have to wait for Kondo’s newest feature.
