Freeze Me

Some films are made that test society's underlying beliefs, and this is one of them. some would say that the women in such a circumstance should call the police (as i would advocate also in every case), but sometimes with some people, pride and society may lead to people hiding. This is the case with Chihiro, who on being gatecrashed by her attackers, is afraid to lose her life once again by revealing what happened to her.

It tests our attitude to the victims in such circumstances, and makes you think. You see the film from the victims point of view... and in that way, for those willing to see a film that tests their minds, then this is a film for you. Outstanding and frightening movie that deserves to be watched..

I watched this movie with no knowledge of what the story was about. The director did a very good job developing suspense right from the start. When I found out about the plight of Chihiro, I automatically felt for her. Because of what happened, its effect is so traumatizing that she's virtually helpless to do anything. When push comes to shove, Chihiro has the "fight or flight" choice and it's interesting to see what choice she makes. I must commend Harumi Inoue who gave a really great performance. She truly displayed fear, confusion, paranoia well and I felt really concerned for her character. Hey, if a movie made me feel that strong, I think it got it successfully got its message across.

"Freeze Me" depicts intense violence and I don't mean like cheesy Hollywood does. It deals with violence against women which sadly is not fictional in society. The story takes a trippy twist towards the end and watch the character progression thoughout the film. I must say that Harumi Inoue is stunningly beautiful and was great to watch. She's definitely got a new fan!

At the start of the millennium, exploitation movies were few and far between. Films such as I Spit On Your Grave, The Last House On The Left and The Virgin Spring had left the subgenre with little room to breathe. Unsurprising then, that Takashi Ishii briefly moved away from the exploitation genre that dominated his early works and directed Gonin, making him an international name. His films have always been largely preoccupied with revenge, and Freezer was to be no exception. Whereas Irreversible, released two years later, drew critical acclaim mainly for not glorifying the life that had been destroyed but to mourn it, Freezer was first to shift the focus from gory revenge and concentrate on the victim as she struggled to cope with the memories she thought she had buried deep inside her. Irreversible may be more celebrated, but Freezer also demands your attention. Without ever glorifying the horrific acts that fuel Chirhiro's bloody vengeance, Freezer is, for the most part, well-paced and surprisingly beautiful, with a compelling and intensely dramatic performance from its lead. DW

What "I Spit On Your Grave" should've been. Well, OK, the plot advancement might be a tad contrived, and the weird way a rape victim in this film is portrayed, at least, I hope women aren't actually so victimized by shame in Japan as to maintain a stoic silence that is so firmly entrenched the antagonists can actually blackmail the victim vying against her fear that others might know of her "shame" of being deflowered, abused, or molested. Her inaction for a large portion of the film is agonizing, but understandable in consideration of the themes of the film (action vs. victimization, social shame vs. personal safety, social roles and double standards for men vs. for women). It's an educational bit of work, nicely shot, and generally engaging. Loads better than I had expected it to be. On a neat side note, the star of this, Harumi Inoue, was having dinner at a Sushi joint on fourth, bracketed by a pair of very Yakuza boss looking dudes, tans and black turtlenecks and thick ropey gold chains and tiny glinting glasses, real imposing. My pal Shotaro recognized her. Kind of weird to see a woman out calmly eating sushi that I'd just seen scantly clad, drenched in blood with murder on her mind. Guess that's an illustration of filmic reality vs. actual reality for you.

Five years after being raped in her small home town, Chihiro Yamazaki has made a new life for herself in Tokyo. She works in an office and is engaged to be married. Then one of her assailants turns up at her home and forces his way in. He says he spent a lot of time tracking her and that the other two will be arriving later. He also tells her that the original rape was filmed and that if she doesn't do has he demands copies will be given to people she knows. He soon takes over her life but then she fights back and he ends up in her freezer. It isn't long before the next of her attackers turns up looking for his friend... this time she doesn't wait so long before striking back. Now there is just one more rapist to worry about.

The rape revenge genre can be problematic to say the least; the initial crime must be shown in a way that makes the viewer totally sympathetic with the woman so we can accept it when gets her revenge... without that scene seeming exploitative. I thought this succeeded fairly well in that respect. There is quite a bit of nudity but, at least as far as Chihiro is concerned, it is most in in non-coercive situations. Having the film set mostly inside Chihiro's small apartment gives an impressive sense of claustrophobia. There are obviously some violent moments and while they are not excessively gory they are somewhat disturbing. Perhaps surprisingly there are a few comic moments... such as Chihiro worrying about her latest victim getting blood on the rug as she gave him a well-deserved battering. There are some slight plot holes; the fact that she never reported the original crime might be believable but it stretched credulity a bit to believe she wouldn't report when they started coming after her again... still it wouldn't have been much of a film if she'd done that. The cast is solid; most obviously Harumi Inoue who really impresses as Chihiro Yamazaki. Overall I'd say this won't be for everybody but it is well worth a watch if enjoy the genre or are a fan of gritty Japanese cinema.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.