MOVIE REVIEW: Suicide Club 2002In Japan, 54 schoolgirls form a human chain and jump in front of a moving subway train. This act is followed by the apparent suicide of two young nurses. At the scene of each crime there is a white athletic bag left behind. In each bag the police find a “chain” of human skin that is sewn together. Detective Kuroda (Ryo Ishibashi) and his partners try to piece together exactly who is responsible for the rash of suicides. Meanwhile the suicides continue….thirteen school children jump from a school house ledge, another young man jumps from a building and lands on his unsuspecting girlfriend. One key to the suicides may stem from an annoying all-girl pop group called Dessart that has taken the country by storm. Police also get tips from an unseen woman who calls herself The Bat. Her tips lead police to a website that appears to divulge information on the suicides before they happen. Things get really hairy when people who have no connection whatsoever commit suicide as well. Detective Kuroda repeatedly receives calls from an anonymous little lad that clears his throat after every sentence (hilarious), informing him that the Suicide Club does not exist. With all these confusing clues, in which direction will the police go? Can they stop another mass suicide before it happens? No more spoilers from me y’all!
As a fan of Asian cinema and possessing a good appreciation and understanding of the culture, this one even had me baffled. The subject matter of the film was pretty straightforward but the ending will you leave you with plenty of questions. Overall this was a good film and I pretty much understood the message. I would say this film deals with the obsession of pop culture and how people are easily persuaded to jump into (no pun intended) the latest craze. Japanese teens have a bigger obsession with pop culture than American teens believe it or not. The gore used in the film was effective and very realistic. The human chain of skin will leave you speechless. Be warned, the crazy song the Dessarts sing will annoy the hell out of you and become a nagging earworm. By the end of the film, I too was looking for a bridge. In Japanese with English subtitles.
VERDICT: 3 Soul Claps
Labels: Movie Reviews
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 at 1:44 PM.
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