One of the most pleasurable things about international
cinema is that a good film can easily cross over lands and
societies and illuminate the human condition while entertaining
and educating the viewer. Sometimes though, the differences
between cultures can prove just too much to overcome. Whether
this is due to a lack of knowledge on behalf of the viewer
or a lack of technique on behalf of the filmmaker is open
to debate. Whatever the reason, not every film lends itself
easily to every sensibility. Some translate well while others
do not. EM: Embalming might sadly be one
of the latter.
Embalmer Reiko Takashima (Miyako Murakami) arrives on the
scene of the apparent suicide of Yuki (Masatoshi Matsuo),
the son of a wealthy family. During her work, Reiko discovers
a strange needle buried within the head of the young man's
corpse, leading her and close acquaintance Detective Hiraoka
(Yutaka Matsushige) on a search for "the truth"
involving religious extremism, an illegal cadaver-harvesting
operation involving the nefarious Dr. Fuji (Toshio Shiba,
in the film's most memorable turn), mistaken identities and
their own personal demons.
Despite sharing many similarities with Silence Of
The Lambs, Se7en, and even The X-Files,
Shinji Aoyama's EM: Embalming is relatively
unmoving. The few surreal touches (such as an amusing chase
scene that lasts about 30 seconds) are attention-getters but
are few and far between. Clearly a movie fan, the director
casts renowned director Seijin Suzuki in a fun role and later
goes so far as to inject a quick nod to The Ring.
Director Aoyama's primary method seems to be be a sort of
"hyper-realism" in which there are few big emotional
moments or palm-sweaty scares. By keeping us at arm's length
the viewer is never completely taken with the proceedings;
we sort of chug along to the conclusion solely to see how
it all turns out. Is it due to cultural difference? To technique?
The film is well-crafted yet stoic as the requisite gore is
abundant but is so clinical that it barely registers or lends
any sense of jeopardy. The detective-story elements involving
Detective Hiraoka (the engaging Matsushige) and Doctor Fuji
(an impressive Shiba) as the most compelling of the three
leads fares best and should have been the main focus of the
narrative whereas the main character Miyako (Takashima) is
easily and strangely the most remote and disposable. By comparison,
the infamous Suicide Circle (aka Suicide
Club) deals with its gruesome world and its inhabitants
in a similar manner, yet involves us through its characters
in a way that EM mostly doesn't manage to.
Artsmagic's DVD release of the film is quite good, fortunately.
The image quality is standard and could use a little touching
up but the sound mix and subtitles are clear and well presented.
A full length commentary track by Jasper Sharp of www.midnighteye.com
(and co-author of The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film)
is a fine DVD feature. Sharp impressively details a wealth
of information that puts EM: Embalming into
context for the unfamiliar viewer. Historical events such
as natural disasters, terrorist actions and religious practices
are discussed and illuminate the film's meaning a great deal.
A 20-minute interview with director Shinji Aoyama is also
a welcome find, relating info about fellow filmmaker Kiyoshi
Kurosawa (Cure, Bright Future)
and detailing an intriguing notion of the meaning of the detective
story that is quite valuable. Cast & crew biographies
round out the extra-features package on this DVD release that
may be light but is also very handy and most welcome.
Shinji Aoyama's EM: Embalming is a mixed
success at best. Aoyama would seem to be a director to watch,
provided he remembers to coax the viewer into his world with
a more compelling narrative. Possessing all the right ingredients
but failing to reach critical mass, EM is a "suspense
film with elements of horror" that is unfortunately also
a film about death with too few signs of life.
--Matthew Goltz
Review DVDs courtesy Artsmagic DVD. View trailers of the above
at www.artsmagicdvd.com.
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