Dark Water
Directed by Hideo Nakata
Released: 2002
Starring: Hitomi Koruki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa, and Fumiyo Kohinata

During a painful and bitter divorce, Yushimi Matsubara (played by Hitomi Koruki) must fight for the custody of her six-year-old child, Ikoku (played by Rio Kanno). The court awards her temporary custody during the proceedings and Yushimi must find a place for her and Ikoku to live in the meantime. She finds a great deal on a decent sized apartment in an old building just a few blocks from Ikoku’s kindergarten.

Shortly after moving in, Yushimi notices a water stain on the ceiling which begins to drip. Due to an ineffectual apartment management, the leaky ceiling gets worse and worse. Strange sounds, the constantly invasive water, and a child’s red backpack that keeps reappearing begin to test Yushimi’s sanity during the critical parts her legal troubles. As things begin to fall apart for Yushimi and Ikoku, the mystery of the apartment above them and a little girl in a yellow raincoat becomes too dangerous to ignore.

Director Hideo Nakata brings this incredible ghost story to life. Although reminiscent of some of the films in the recent Japanese horror boom even the director’s own Ringu and its sequel, Dark Water really stands apart with its involving characters and its poignancy. This is a subtle film in the first hour and as many small details reveal that something is terribly wrong, the mood becomes saturated with dread. The setting of the rundown apartment complex and the small apartment are very claustrophobic and leaves no room for the characters to escape to.

The superb minimal soundtrack accents the gray and washed out colors exceptionally. The cinematography of Junichirô Hayashi (Ringu, Kaïro AKA Pulse is flawless and captures even the minutest action. There are several moments in the film when the camera is so close to its subject that it’s easy to get sucked into the story and feel an aching need to know what’s going to happen next.

Hitomi Koruki’s portrayal of Yoshimi is really heart-wrenching as she tries to retain custody of her child in light of all the strange occurrences that plague her and Ikoku. Young Rio Kanno puts in a fine performance and could grow up to be a fine actress. The rest of the small cast does a fine job but it is Koruki and Kanno who are really at the core of the film. Thanks to them, the material herein is both realistic and fantastic.

The bottom line is Dark Water is a ghost story that is actually scary and one which is excellently filmed and acted. This is a must see for fans of Japanese horror. Even the most jaded will find that this film gets under your skin. As stated before, the film’s first hour establishes the characters and their situation; only hinting at the approaching terror but it truly deserves a viewer’s full attention. I can’t imagine any horror fan not being drawn in by this film. Yeah, it’s that good.