Rûmumeito (2013)

Rûmumeito: Directed by Takeshi Furusawa. With Keiko Kitagawa, Kyoko Fukada, Kengo Kôra, Mariko Tsutsui. Harumi Hagiwara lands in the hospital after being involved in an accident. She hits it off with her nurse, Reiko Nishimura, and the two decide to move in together after she’s discharged. However, Harumi begins to witness a series of mysterious events soon after noticing Reiko’s strange behavior. Additionally, she fears for her own safety when Reiko starts referring to herself as ‘Mari’ as if she’s become an entirely different person. Before long, the situation develops into a case of murder.

“Japanese horror is a category of its own. It ranges from super-ridiculous B-movies (or is it C?) to cult classics. This oneu0026#39;s neither, but itu0026#39;s certainly above average. It doesnu0026#39;t go into any extremes (like many Japanese horrors do) but instead focuses on characters and on making sense.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe plot isnu0026#39;t very original, so it wonu0026#39;t blow you away. Compared to most Japanese horrors, though, the story is coherent and well-paced, and acting is above average.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe premise is simple. Harumi and Reiko start living together. After a while, Reiko starts having episodes of acting strange and referring to herself as Mari, which freaks Harumi out. Harumiu0026#39;s trying to figure out whatu0026#39;s going on. There isnu0026#39;t much more I can say about the plot without spoilers.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe movie overall isnu0026#39;t very scary. Itu0026#39;s not something that will keep you on the edge of your chair. The horror element is certainly there, but most of the movie is more on the drama side. The pacing is slowish, but it didnu0026#39;t feel boring.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMore than half of the movie seems pretty straightforward and predictable. The plot twists come later. Theyu0026#39;re nothing too unusual either, but at least they make sense, and by the end of the movie, everything is explained well-enough to make for a decent story.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll in all, the movie isnu0026#39;t mind-blowing, but itu0026#39;s well done.”