Inugami

Many may find this slow going, but it is beautifully shot, and compellingly strange. This kind of folk myth is not often seen on the screen, and hardly ever in such a low-key, erotic style. And there is nothing so terrible about the soundtrack, except perhaps to opera snobs who can't bear to hear Verdi put to use in such an out-of-context way. Not a great film, but above-average for this genre. The Japanese countryside is gorgeous, the atmospherics are evocative, and the actors, particularly the women, are all first rate. Throw in some fascinating scenes of paper making, and on the other hand, some beautifully framed sex scenes, and this is certainly much more watchable than many of its American equivalents.

A mini-festival spared me the bother of buying this, and gave the opportunity of seeing it on a large screen. "Inugami" opens with an aerial shot of a two-lane following the low winding juncture of two lushly forested mountains. It's the kind of landscape that inspires Hayao Miyazaki. At the end of the line, find a small, insular, modern-day village, on whose outskirts a not-old old-maid follows generations-old traditions making very fine paper.

Our out-of-town protagonist falls in love with the paper-maker. Small town tensions, based both in the present and in the past, simmer, boil, explode.

Not great, but worth seeing for the scenery and paper-making alone. Put's me in mind of Mitsuo Yanagimachi's 1985 "Himatsuri."

I recently watched the Japanese film 🇯🇵 Inugami (2001) on Shudder. The story follows a schoolteacher who relocates to a quiet town, starts a new class, and begins a romance with a local woman. His new love interest, however, comes from a family with a mysterious past-one he initially brushes off, until strange occurrences begin to unravel both around him and throughout the town. Soon, he starts to question whether the old rumors might actually be true...

Directed by Masato Harada (Gunhed), the film stars Yûki Amami (Countdown), Shiho Fujimura (Zatoichi's Cane Sword), Atsurô Watabe (The Flowers of War), and Makoto Togashi (Cure).

This is definitely a film that won't be for everyone. It's a slow burn, with an eerie atmosphere and unique story elements. The world is well built and immersive, but the pacing can drag, and there's a sense that more could-and should-be happening. On the plus side, the corpse effects are creative and the autopsy scenes are particularly imaginative. The setting, especially the family home, becomes increasingly sinister as the film progresses, and there are some genuinely unsettling moments as the mystery unfolds.

The conclusion ties the mythology and plot together in a satisfying way, though it would've been stronger with a more engaging buildup.

In conclusion, Inugami offers enough intrigue and atmosphere to keep you curious, but not quite enough action or momentum to stand out in the genre. I'd give it a 6/10 and recommend it only if you're in the mood for a moody, measured supernatural drama.

This is not the sort of film to watch when your in a pop corn kind of a mood. It's Beautifully shot strange slightly disturbing film. Not quite a horror film not quite a thriller more like a dark family slightly supernatural Saga. It's Buffy meets Eastenders

Set in a sleepy village one of the Japanese Islands Inugami is the story of the Boymaina Family headed by a feckless drunken womanizing hereditary Shinto priest Takanao, Miki Takanao quiet Spinster from the start you can see there is some dark dynamic between brother an sister. there the family burdened by guilt and honor to there shine and long and dark history as guardians of Inugami "Dog gods", it's slowly killing them. As in all sleepy villages the appearance of stranger the teacher Akira is the catalyst for sinister deaths and unnatural occurrences like miki suddenly looks 20 years younger. Miki & Akira are strongly attracted to each other things go bad.

Family secrets are revealed dark and unpleasant as is the nasty superstitions of the villages. each revelation adding to the plot and twisting it. It also ask's questions about morality, honor, tradition good & evil all are twisted. There confusing too like what do the dreams mean? what does the ending mean. It does give you enough clues to work out your own explanations. Personally I love oblique endings give you a chance to exercise your imagination.

There are some great characters Tomie Bonomia miki's mother watch her closely say no more, Takanao torn by his desires & Honor you can see he loose the will to live little by little as he becomes more and more detached. And Fusa the delivery girl who looks just like Sandy from Monkey.

The summary could seem right hadn't I seen 12 movies this weekend at the Fantasporto film festival. And Inugami was quite frankly the most odd, slow, and incomprehensible of all. Don't ask me why, I came out like I stared at a wall for two hours. Even when I tried to make some sense of it, nothing worked. In its essence, the movie talks about a family whose women are cursed. But perhaps it's me, the story is quite difficult to follow. The people seem to wander around, I didn't understand any of it. But I respect it, afterall there are people who liked it. Anyway, luckily they won't catch me seeing this one again.