Inugami (2001)
Inugami DVD Movie Review
Inugami, from celebrated Japanese director, Masato Harada, is a taut horror-drama about Akira, an art teacher who has recently transferred to the middle school in the village of Omine. After arriving in Omine, Akira quickly realizes that this place is quite unique. For the most part, this settlement has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. The residents are superstitious and believe that the fate of the town lies with the women of the Bonomiya family. These women are the guardians of the Inugami, a pack of ancient wolf spirits who supernaturally rule over the town. Since these Inugami wreak havoc on the town when unchecked, the Bonomiya women have been made the scapegoat for all of the town’s problems. When the outsider Akira falls for Miki Bonomiya, the entire village is in an uproar.
The picturesque cinematography by Junichi Fujisawa is a joy to watch. The fact that this film takes place in a rural mountain village and Miki owns and operates a traditional paper mill yields some very impressive camerawork. This setting reinforces the skeptical, anti-technology sentiments of the residents of Omine village. The camerawork used in this film evokes feelings of sympathy from the audience. Omine Village is seen as the last of a dying tradition and instead of being at war with the outside world, the delicate camerawork makes it seem like this village is left virtually powerless and the Inugami must stop at nothing in order to preserve their sense of well being.
Inugami is quite epic in scope. Harada employed a great deal of symbolism when making this picture. Early on, Tomie Bonomiya, the antagonist’s wife, makes a comment about how their computer has turned from a blessing into a curse after her husband’s online business folded. This anti-technological sentiment is mirrored throughout the course of the movie. Also whenever the setting switches from the tranquility of Omine Village to the harsh, unfeeling outside world, the audience longs for the peace and simplicity of Omine. The peaceful nature of the village also tends to lull the audience into a false sense of security. The Inugami are the true rulers of Omine and as long as the Bonomiya women are there to keep them in check, all is well. Unfortunately, whenever things are wrong with the Bonomiyas, the Inugami capitalize on that weakness and run wild leaving a path of destruction in their wake. The id nature of the Inugami represents the inner struggle of Omine Village. The residents are torn between a desire to advance technologically and embrace the conveniences of the modern world but they are not willing to sacrifice their traditional, more peaceful way of life.
With its striking cinematography and almost allegorical level of symbolism, Inugami is a highly ambitious movie. At its core, this is a horror movie. There are a few scenes designed to startle the viewer and the movie maintains an eerie atmosphere from start to finish. The love story between Miki and Akira, which develops against the wishes of the majority of the townsfolk, gives this movie a dramatic feel. The pairing of horror and drama in this movie works well. This movie never gives the impression that the horror and drama aspects are fighting for the audience’s attention. This is a common flaw that plagues many cross-genre pictures. Overall, Inugami is a movie that requires multiple viewings for the audience to be able to absorb all that it has to offer. The main problem is that this movie is little more than eye candy and overt symbolism. The acting is well done and Yuki Amami gives a good performance as Miki. Inugami is a good movie, what prevents it from being a great movie is the fact that even though it requires multiple viewings to get the full extent of the film, there is not enough substance to warrant watching it more than once.
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