This altogether odd 1989 thriller hails from Shunichi Nagasaki, Japan’s onetime cinematic sultan of noir. In films like STRANGER (1991) and SAIGO NO DRIVE (1992) Nagasaki created a dark, fatalistic yet decidedly elegant universe of his own. THE ENCHANTMENT is vintage Nagasaki, bearing as it does a perverse and outrageous narrative presented in a disarmingly stately and restrained manner. The film’s quiet air probably explains why it never had much of a release outside its native Japan, but it’s definitely worth seeking out.
Sotomura is an apparently well-adjusted psychiatrist whose life, and psyche, are upended entirely after an encounter with the young and attractive Miyako. She claims to be in an abusive, and (it’s implied) romantic, relationship with her roommate Kimie. Sotomura is fascinated, and unwisely involves himself with Miyako after saving her from the lecherous attentions of a delusional taxi driver—who the following morning turns up dead.
That night Miyako, on a date with Sotomura, unwittingly reveals the truth of her condition: she is in fact Kimie, a former lover who died years earlier. It’s Kimie who concludes the date by overtaking Miyako’s body and stabbing Sotomura in the leg. Even more shocking, she seduces Sotomura’s meek receptionist Harumi, who Sotomura has been half-heartedly romancing.
Thus a perverse love triangle is initiated in which Harumi, flattered by Miyako’s attentions, pretends to be Kimie. It all boils down to a three (or, more accurately, four) way confrontation that concludes in a downright subversive manner, suggesting that Sotomura’s attempts at “curing” Miyako through psychiatry are not merely ineffectual but counterproductive.
Be advised that this is all presented in an extremely drawn-out and talk-heavy manner, with perhaps a few too many shots of characters opening doors and stepping out of cars (recurring annoyances, I’ve found, in Nagasaki’s films). Nagasaki’s brand of suspense is constructed through extremely subtle means, with abnormal psychology taking precedence over bloodletting and plot twists (although the film contains plenty of both).
Yet there are some overt cinematic pleasures, such as an early psychiatric session between Sotomura and Miyako in which the sunlight illuminating them gradually darkens, a hospital scene marked by a slow push in on a flower bouquet delivered by Miyako, and the evocative use of a flashing Coca-Cola sign in the climactic scenes.
The veteran actor/model Masao Kusakari, of ESUPAI and VIRUS, makes for a compelling anchor to all this madness. He’s well matched by the Kumiko Akiyoshi, an actress who’s admittedly known for her “attractive legs” (which, it must be said, are well displayed here) but delivers a terrifically convincing and emphatic performance as the multiple personality afflicted Miyako.
Vital Statistics
THE ENCHANTMENT
Black Box/Fuji Television Network
Director: Shunichi Nagasaki
Producers: Toshiro Kamata, Shin’ya Kawai, Kei Sasaki
Screenplay: Shunichi Nagasaki, Goro Nakajima, Tomoko Ogawa
Cinematography: Makoto Watanabe
Editing: Yoshiyuki Okuhara
Cast: Masao Kusakari, Kumiko Akiyoshi, Kiwako Harada, Tsutomu Isobe, Takashi Naitô, Junkichi Orimoto, Renji Ishibashi, Tomoko Ôtakara