Some people have questioned why all my film reviews are so positive. To put it bluntly I only review films that I have liked. I rarely bother about the not-so-good ones (e.g. the apathetic Elephant and the mediocre Equilibrium). Perhaps I should but to be honest I don’t really have the time!

Having just said this I saw an excellent Cantonese film yesterday called ‘The Eye‘. At the age of two, Wong Kar Mun went blind. Eighteen years later a new and risky corneal transplant operation restores her vision, but a series of inexplicable events leads her to believe there is much more than meets the eye to her newfound gift of sight. I’ll say no more but sufficed to say as psychological thrillers go its pretty scary!

If you scare easily or are in the least claustrophobic there is one film that you should defiantly not watch, that is Dark Water. If you’re not any of the the former then you soon will be!

Dark Water (also known as Honogurai mizu no soko kara) is best described as a supernatural thriller. The film follows a single mother Yoshimi who moves into what she thinks is the perfect apartment with her daughter Ikuko. No sooner have they unpacked than strange things begin to disturb their new life. A water leak from the supposedly abandoned apartment above gets bigger and bigger, a child’s satchel reappears even though Yoshimi throws it away several times, and she is haunted by the image of a child wearing a yellow mackintosh who bears a striking resemblance to a young girl who disappeared several years before.

From here on things get pretty freaky. Nakata’s film works so cleverly with the idea of no safety in the safest places and objects that everything seems dangerous. In combination with the terrible emotional story at the heart of the film, the feelings of dread, despair and sadness reach almost intolerable depths at times.

I would highly recommend watching this one late at night with the lights off – should you happen to start hearing sounds in adjacent rooms I wouldn’t worry to much, its probably nothing! Its also worth noting that the yanks are remaking the film so you’d better watch it before its spoiled forever.

Continuing with my season of unusual films I thought I might reflect on a trilogy of films which date back to before I was even born but which has only just concluded. The “Qatsi” trilogy began in 1975 and was the brain child of Godfrey Reggio, for a good potted history see here. First came “Koyaanisqatsi” (Life Out of Balance), then came “Powaqqatsi” (Life in Transition), and most recently “Naqoyqatsi” (Life as War – 2003) which I saw a couple of days ago.

By now you may be wondering what on earth I’m on about, but I’ll leave it up to the description off the site to explain:

“A motion picture experience beyond words, NAQOYQATSI merges the power of image and music to plunge into the heart of the hyperaccelerated, globally wired 21st century. Mesmerizing images plucked from everyday reality, then visually altered with state-of-the-art digital techniques, stream across the screen in synch with a hypnotic score by Philip Glass, featuring the passionate cello work of Yo-Yo Ma. Despite the film’s nonverbal nature, the ultimate effect of its starkly futuristic, computer-enhanced visual fabric is to get people talking about how technology is altering everything: media, art, entertainment, sports, politics, medicine, warfare, ethics, nature, culture and the very face of the human future.”

The films can only really be described as work’s of art. Their mesmerizing visuals are almost hypnotic and combined with a stunning soundtrack its a pretty incredible experience. The philosophy and ethic’s contained withing the pieces are so understated yet striking as a whole – this film really makes you think about society with all its flaws. A must watch film for anyone with an inquiring mind.