I guess why I thought KAIDAN was such a worthwhile experience is that it seems like a throwback to a bygone era. It concerns Shinkichi, cursed right from birth due to his poor Samurai father's murder of an elderly farmer attempting to collect a debt owe to him. Shinkichi would later become romantically involved with the older daughter of the farmer, and this relationship would link Shinkichi to tragedy for the remainder of his life. On her death bed, his mistress informed Shinkichi that he would never be able to love another woman again..any attempts to do so results in danger for those he involved. But, Shinkichi, returning to Hanyu(..his childhood home before moving to Edo with his uncle after his father and mother's mysterious demises)with a young woman he planned to marry, his life will begin to crumble and despite attaching himself to the daughter of the richest man in the village, misery, suffering, and, eventually, death will greet him in succession.
Slow-moving epic from RINGU / DARK WATER director Hideo Nakata, is actually simple in story, but grandly presented. It deals with the sins of a father passed to his son and how fate can align two together which inevitably yields future horror. And, we see how love binds two together, this union never separated even after one of them dies. No matter how hard Shinkichi tries to create a normal life for himself, his past returns to torment him. The symbolic slice on the brow above the left eye, the initial blow his father inflicted on the peaceful man who simply desired what was owe to him. It remains an indelible image passed down throughout Shinkichi's remaining pitiful existence. The mistress remains a vital part of Shinkichi's life and no matter how much he so wishes, he can not escape her presence. His daughter carries the dreaded brow mark and her eyes, always focused on Shinkichi, that he wishes to harm her, as if doing so would force away the mistress' presence. The mistress' ghost often remains close by and we see Shinkichi often stressed and anxious due to the fact that he can not rid himself of her. And, the ending, as his life spirals out of control, that the mistress will successfully retrieve what had been stolen from her in life. The river outside of Hanyu is said to devour the souls of those buried deep within and remains an important part of the movie..it is where the mistress' father was laid to rest, along with the sickle he attempted to defend himself with(..and the sickle returns to actually assist Shinkichi, while the blood-stained weapon also serves as a source of terror for him since he uses it to accidentally murder his potential bride who journeyed alongside him from Edo, defending himself against the mistress who was strangling his throat). Hideo Nakata's film is never overtly violent, mainly at the conclusion as Shinkichi defends himself against a village mob, with lighted torches, seeking his life for the unfortunate harm causes towards innocents inadvertently. I'm pretty sure the final image of a ghost holding a severed head, preciously cradled in her arms, will remain with you after the film is over.
Slow-moving epic from RINGU / DARK WATER director Hideo Nakata, is actually simple in story, but grandly presented. It deals with the sins of a father passed to his son and how fate can align two together which inevitably yields future horror. And, we see how love binds two together, this union never separated even after one of them dies. No matter how hard Shinkichi tries to create a normal life for himself, his past returns to torment him. The symbolic slice on the brow above the left eye, the initial blow his father inflicted on the peaceful man who simply desired what was owe to him. It remains an indelible image passed down throughout Shinkichi's remaining pitiful existence. The mistress remains a vital part of Shinkichi's life and no matter how much he so wishes, he can not escape her presence. His daughter carries the dreaded brow mark and her eyes, always focused on Shinkichi, that he wishes to harm her, as if doing so would force away the mistress' presence. The mistress' ghost often remains close by and we see Shinkichi often stressed and anxious due to the fact that he can not rid himself of her. And, the ending, as his life spirals out of control, that the mistress will successfully retrieve what had been stolen from her in life. The river outside of Hanyu is said to devour the souls of those buried deep within and remains an important part of the movie..it is where the mistress' father was laid to rest, along with the sickle he attempted to defend himself with(..and the sickle returns to actually assist Shinkichi, while the blood-stained weapon also serves as a source of terror for him since he uses it to accidentally murder his potential bride who journeyed alongside him from Edo, defending himself against the mistress who was strangling his throat). Hideo Nakata's film is never overtly violent, mainly at the conclusion as Shinkichi defends himself against a village mob, with lighted torches, seeking his life for the unfortunate harm causes towards innocents inadvertently. I'm pretty sure the final image of a ghost holding a severed head, preciously cradled in her arms, will remain with you after the film is over.