Ironically, it is the more talk and less blood that gives MIYUKI its creep factor. Yuri Nanami's performance as a Japanese exchange student, living with the PERFECT cynical depiction of a Marin County, California family, is beautifully subtle and nuanced. The cinematography is down right gorgeous in composition and lighting, and the film editing is strikingly subjective and dreamlike in its pacing. Director Immanuel Martin has done a great job with the technical elements and only has some weak spots in getting consistent 'honest moments' from some of his cast. That said, "Miyuki" has the psychological tension of "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" and with even more back story, which is something impressive to have pulled off. The tone of the film is exceptionally low key, which only adds to the pathos of the characters involved. There is a little bit of a supernatural element included, which is wholly unnecessary, or perhaps it is a cultural reference that didn't click with me. However, that is a minor quibble. With some judicious editing around a couple awkward performance moments, the film should obtain some sort of distribution.
