Teenage drama of acceptance morphs into Audition-like horror.
When first presented with the disc that read simply ‘Shady’ I had some grim premonition of sitting through some British faux-gangster flick set in the Midlands (where the phrase “shady” is used to mean something bad is going down).
Firstly I was surprised to see that it was actually a Japanese film about two school girls. Secondly that once the film was underway it was very good. The question then became; why have I not heard about this film?
Kumada is a teenage, social outcast. Bullied or forgotten about by her peers she finds solace with her pet parrot and a gold fish in the science lab. Striking up a friendship with the bubbly Izumi the pair start to spend more and more time together. At first the friends seem to compliment each other’s lesser qualities in a more pleasant sequence in the film. Slowly their relationship takes on a more intense aspect as Izumi appears to have sexual feelings for Kumada. Finally the third act of the friendship truly reveals itself as Izumi wants to have complete control over Kumada, resorting to intimidation and murder to keep them close.
Shady’s triumph really comes from the fact that it begins so innocuously. Director/Writer Ryohei Watanabe creates a dull-like school atmosphere. Nothing remarkable. Nothing showy. Like the girls relationship, the visual practically blossom too. Colour palates and framing seem to become more key. The last time I remember feeling like this whilst watching a film was A Room For Romeo Brass about 10 years ago. Similar to Shady, that was a film that took you down one genre path before changing direction with terrifying force. As Shady comes to it’s conclusion I found myself watching with a knotted stomach, the same way I watched Morell in Romeo Brass torment his younger friends.
A surprisingly suspenseful thriller, with some haunting performances by it’s two leads. Shady is worth seeking out.
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