Cult 101: Dark Water (2002)
Director: Hideo Nakata Run Time: 101 min. Rating: PG-13 Release Year: 2002
Starring: Asami Mizukawa, Hitomi Kuroki, Mirei Oguchi, Rio Kanno, Shigemitsu Ogi
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Presented as part of the 2023 edition of Cult 101.
About the film:
After terrifying audiences worldwide with the blockbuster J-horror classic Ringu (1998) and its sequel, director Hideo Nakata returned to the genre for Dark Water (2002), another highly atmospheric, and critically acclaimed, tale of the supernatural which took the common theme of the “dead wet girl” to new heights of suspense and drama.
Recently divorced, Yoshimi moves into a new apartment with her daughter Ikuku. And that’s when some dripping water leads Yoshimi to discover a terrifying secret.
Chilling, stylized, and beautiful, Dark Water (2002) doubles as a dreamy spook-show and a touching portrait of a woman’s journey in the face of difficulties.
About the filmmaker:
Hideo Nakata is a Japanese filmmaker who emerged as one of the world’s most influential horror film auteur with the success of Ringu (1998). The film won Best Asian Film at the 1999 Fantasia Film Festival and became the most successful horror movie in the history of Japanese cinema, spawning sequels and a U.S. remake. Nakata made his American directing debut with The Ring Two (2005).
His other features include the crime drama Chaos (2000), horror Dark Water (2002), period horror Kaidan (2007), spin-off film Death Note: L Change the World (2008), psychological suspense The Incite Mill (2010), and comedy Life in Overtime (2018). His English language film Chatroom (2010) premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
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