Inner Senses

Jim is a psychiatrist that convinces people that ghosts are just in their mind and doesn't truly exist. Yan is a girl with a troubled past that haunts her. She sees ghosts in her new Apartment, but Jim convinces her that these are all in her imagination. The psychiatric part of the film never gets dull and repetitive, and some if it is actually quite convincing. Jim talking to himself about his patients and this and that of psychology is one of the most interesting parts in the film. It never gets forced or unnecessary.

The horror parts of the film are usually just jump scares and most of it has to do with music, but it's still effective. The first part that made me jump was when the title appeared. So, it's pretty much expected to be jumping up and down throughout the whole film. The plot isn't original. But then it doesn't have to. It's simply about people thinking that they're seeing ghosts. It's not entirely a horror film. The scares come in quite surprisingly, and all of them are just the imagination of the characters. Nothing really memorable, but still effective.

I liked how the film tried to stay away from the clichés that most Asian horror have: A girl in a dress slowly walking with her long hair covering her face. I'm quite convinced that they made the long dead girlfriend of Jim's hair to be very short so that they wouldn't end up with that effect (which is pretty much unavoidable, long hair or not).

The characters are played excellently by the actors. Leslie Cheung (his last film, to which after making this movie, is said to have completely changed and got severely depressed. Jumped off a building and died soon in the hospital) is fantastic as Jim, the psychiatrist with the troubled past. Karena Lam and other supporting roles give out excellent performances as well.

Although the film has great performances and a pretty good story to tell, it's the ending where it fell apart. The movie suddenly becomes a lovestory with lots of cheese. It truly felt very, very different, and was quite unnecessary to end it that way. Yes, Jim overcoming and accepting, instead of forgetting, his past was how he was able to be cured. I loved the part when the character's roles are switched after Yan has recovered. After facing her parents, Jim is now the one that needs help. But the ending was simply a disappointment.

But the film does give out some great messages. Ghosts aren't what horror films, T.V. shows or books would have us believe to be. It's our troubled past that haunts us. And letting go of this past and not remembering it isn't the only thing you can do. You can simply accept it and choose to live a normal life. This is the conflict that almost all the characters are facing. We find out that the landlord, in what could possibly be the creepiest part of the film, actually prepares his long dead wife and kid's slippers in the doorway and cooks extra food for them.

7.5

The film 'Inner Senses' is almost two movies. The first chapter is about a young female college student, Yan, who sees ghosts. Yan moves into a small apartment alone, and begins to have strange hallucinations, so she sees a doctor, Jim, On the behest of her cousin. Through her vulnerability she starts to fall for her doctor, who is also her professor, but they are able to keep a professional relationship, and she actually gets cured through the reconciliation between her and her estranged parents that Jim orchestrates.

The next chapter soon begins though, with Jim and Yan living together, and all is well, until he begins sleepwalking, or rather renews a pattern he lived years ago. He though is in deep denial, and will not believe it is his problem, even when he watches a tape of his nightly activities.

We soon find he is haunted by his own ghosts. The love he outgrew and cast aside in high school, who took her life in a terrible way, never resolved, now demands a forum in the hall of the heart. Will he survive the meeting?

The film is very touching, with intermittent spooks, well placed, without being overdone, with obvious ideas taken from Hideo Nakata, an overall very enjoyable, and moving film about love, loss, self discovery, and the battle of the mind and heart to move on. Slightly sappy at times, the story and acting are good enough to overlook the flaws.

Overall Score 7/10

People who are expecting unrelenting scares and a general feeling of creepiness should probably avoid this one. It's good, but it's more of a character study than anything else. The ghosts are real, but then, we're all haunted by our own personal demons, aren't we?

A young woman with the frightening ability to see ghosts seeks help from a handsome young doctor. The two soon fall in love and begin a relationship. However, as her ability lessens, his increases, and soon he is plagued by the vengeful ghost of a teenage girl he once wronged. The doctor, who never before believed in ghosts, begins to fall apart. Will he be driven to suicide by the restless spirit, or will he find a way to put both her and himself at peace?

This film is methodical in its careful construction of its characters. Some might prefer the term "slow moving." It's a ghost story with bookend ghosts, one of which strongly resembles Sadako of "Ringu" fame. Perhaps the creepiest aspect of this film is the fact that Leslie Cheung, in the role of the tormented Jim, committed suicide not long after this film was released. It is most disconcerting to see his character pushed to the brink of suicide by a ghost who wants him to jump off of a building when you know in advance that he actually did leap to his death from a tall building! This sad fact definitely lends the movie an unsettling quality.

The performances are all strong and quite believable, and the ghosts (when they appear) are frightening. This is a good, strong story of guilt and shame and the way in which they come back to "haunt" us. Fans of fast-paced, gore- splattered fare might find themselves bored silly by this one, but for the intellectual ghost lover "Inner Senses" just might be their thing.

Good horror film with a serious plot about people who cannot recover from the losses in their pasts. The film builds up very slowly to build character but also produces some genuinely creepy scenes in the third act. The subplot about the landlord (which also acts as a catalyst for the main character) is a little under-explored, which is a shame, but other than that it's a very accomplished film. More Dark Water than, say, Ju-on: The Grudge.

Also Leslie Chungs last film before he threw himself out of a window...a little spooky considering some of the scenes in this film, which are similar.

Don't let the put downs deter you. Decide for yourself. This DVD is worth the patience it takes to watch. IF you like the Tomie series, Sixth Sense - etc. - then you will most likely be very pleased with this film. This is a Superb Ghost Story in the tradition of the above - and Ringu! I found it truly moving. It has some truly chilling moments! (The over-the-shoulder-apparition is a classic!) This is a Ten - for me.