The Black Hair was definitely the creepiest one of the four stories; probably because I wasn’t expecting it. The reunion was going suspiciously well, but that just had me thinking that he might wake up next to his wife, or worse, in his old house in Kyoto, now empty and abandoned. The combination of his stark-white complexion, the naked skull of his ex-wife, and her long, black hair actually caused me yell out (in a manly fashion, though, of course). And was it just me or did her hair undulate like something possessed as he screamed at it? Amazing. I’m glad that story was finished by the early afternoon. (Hey, I know my imagination, O.K.?)
The Woman of the Snow was breath-taking: I couldn’t believe the skies! The rich ochres, lighter yellows and pinks as they ran through the fields, the many eyes throughout… There were some tense moments too, of course: the way Kobayashi held a shot for such a long time, particularly on the back of the woman’s head near the beginning and end of the story: you’re certain this mask of terror will greet you when she finally, finally turns around. And the use of lighting throughout the stories was just amazing; I’ll talk about the last two in a moment, but in this piece, the transitions from warm colours to white and deep blue complemented the close-ups perfectly: it’s all you need to know what’s going on.
Hoichi, The Earless was probably the best story of the lot: it had humour, adventure, and a happy ending of sorts. The wards painted all over (well, almost :-) ) Hoichi’s body were an impressive sight. Again, the use of lighting, exposing his ears, was excellent; such a simple, yet powerful, technique.
In a Cup of Tea rounded out the collection on a disturbing note: again, the use of lighting made the scene that much more tense, as first the woman, and then the publisher, approached the bucket of water. I also loved the shot as the main character brought the cup of tea up to his face for the third time, the frame off-kilter like we’re sure his mind is by then.
