AKA. ENBAMINGU
(1999/JAPAN)
REVIEWED BY-STEVE GENIER DIRECTED BY-SHINJI AOYAMA CAST- Reiko Takashima, Yutaka Matsushige, Seijun Suzuki, Hitomi Miwa, Masatoshi Matsuo, Junichi Hayakawa, Toshio Shiba and Kojiro Hongo. SOURCE-ARTSMAGIC NTSC R1 DVD (2005)
Like her father before her, she became an embalmer after seeing her mother laying at the funeral home looking as if you were just sleeping. Preserved with such perfection, how could one do such a beautiful job with something that is a state of decay, something that Murakami Miyako (Reiko Takashima) often wonder and has since come to perfect herself upon beginning her own career as an embalmer. Her skills are brought into play on morning when she is called to the crime scene of a fatal suicide. A boy by the name of Shindo Yoshiki who had fallen to his death from the roof of an apartment building. Upon finishing up on Yoshiki, getting him presented for his viewing, his head is severed from the body and taken. All leads boil down to an extreme black market body parts smuggling operation that has been plaguing the area for quite sometime.
Ah, but there is another strange element that just doesn’t add up, Yoshiki’s girlfriend Rika who has quadraphenia, four different personalities. Thus, making the investigation harder. Throughout the search for Yoshiki’s head, Miyako is lead to a mysterious truck parked on the side of some road. Inside, she comes face to face with the legendary Dr. Fuji, a former surgeon become illegal organ remover for the black market. One could put two and two together and would be faced with the possibility that he may just be Miyako long last father, something that she would never admit if it were true. As as the viewer you are treated to two linear storylines that cross paths from time to time throughout the course of the film. Of course this doesn’t explain where the ultimate prize of where Yoshiki’s head may be. As it become more and more apparent that the truth lay with that of Riki, or her many warped personalities.
EM-EMBALMER is a quite unique tale in every aspect, starting with it’s dark humor something out of a TWIN PEAKS episode with it’s quirky characters and it’s ever so evident situations that the characters are so inept to figure out in the first. Basically running much like a crime-thriller, there are also many situations that draw out the ever so dark elements found in horror films. Of course this would entail that many embalming scenes presented. Most of which are highly graphic and very realistic. Everything from peeled back skills, to limp decapitations and even organ removal. All of which are not intended for the faint at heart or stomach. This is yet another prime example of just how different Japanese cinema is from the west. Taking something that would normally be a major taboo here, and displaying it with a grain of salt or shall I say with a light hearted joke. All of which would suggest that the human conditions after the events in Hiroshima still haunt them and their cinematic styles to this day. As from the amount of gore that is spilled here.
Director Shinji Aoyama, is in perfect control with his entire element here, creating that pretty balance between the real and the surreal by separating the dark humor and keeping it on the sideline only to pull them back out when necessary. Sort of like playing a shit joke an someone, and them not realizing it isn’t a joke but real. This also spreads to his direction of the entire cast involved with the EMBALMER. All of who are quite good in their respective roles especially the leads of Reiko Takashima and Yutaka Matsushige. Both seem to play off each other with perfect precision and in some cases doing it without laughing, sure this isn’t a live skit here, but the humor is quite funny between them in areas of least expectance. The support cast blend in when needed to keep the even keel throughout the whole film, something that is very important. This balance is also generated through the very unique score as well. Often very loungey and like the characters, quite quirky in areas as well. Low bass driven in many areas, giving it that unusual feel. EM-EMBALMER takes that TWIN PEAKS feel and gives it dose of formaldehyde, creating surreal tour de-force.
Another excellent and quite different offering from Asian DVD experts Artsmagic. Beautiful 16x9 anamorphic wide screen transfer that accented with an Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese audio track with the usual English subtitles. All of which are both very clean and quite clear, the picture vibrant with color. Artsmagic once again employs the likes of co-author of The Midnight Guide to New Japanese Film, Jasper Sharp for the disc’s commentary. Sharp pretty much goes with the general flow of the film, filling in the film’s storyline and plot and giving explanations, information and cast backgrounds. Artsmagic also fill the extras with tracking down EM’S director Shinji Aoyama for a 20 minute interview in which he discusses everything from his start in film to the aspects of making EM. They round out the extras with 6 quite extensive filmographies/biographies. All of this is packaged in one the best covers in my opinion they have release thus far here in the North American market. Yet another positive outing for a company that seems to capitalize on the their past glories and bring things to a whole new level.
STORY/FILM-3.5 BITCH SLAPS PICTURE-4 BITCH SLAPS AUDIO-4 BITCH SLAPS EXTRAS-3 BITCH SLAPS OVERALL DVD-3.5 BITCH SLAPS Discuss this film in our forums.
