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In Japanese with English & Chinese Subtitles
Genre: Drama/Romance/Fantasy
Director: Taro Ohtani
Cast: Song Seung Heon, Nanako Matsushima,
Kiki Kirin, Mana Ashida, Sawa Suzuki, Satoshi Hashimoto, Daisuke
Miyagawa, Yôichi Nukumizu
RunTime: 1 hr 56 mins
Released By: Scorpio East Pictures &
Cathay-Keris Films
Rating: PG (Some Disturbing Scenes)
Official Website: http://www.ghost-movie.jp/
Opening Day: 10 March 2011
Synopsis: "Ghost" is about a successful
woman Nanami Hoshino (Nanako Matsushima) meets a ceramist,
Juno Kim, (Song Seung Heon) a Korean who is residing in Japan.
Their love blossoms but their happiness was short-lived. Nanami
is killed in an accident. Her ghost remains with Juno when
she realizes that her death is not an accident but due to
a conspiracy. Juno is in danger. The only way Nanami can warn
Juno is through a psychic, Satsuki Unten (Kiki Kirin). Love
continues to stay alive between the two even though they have
no physical contact.
Movie Review:
It is said that there is no more room
for originality in our postmodern world as everything the
human race can conceive has been said, done and documented.
Even if some might disagree, the constant regurgitation of
remakes done onto our movie screens probably says otherwise.
And surprisingly (or maybe not), the latest movie remake to
hit our shores is one re-produced, not by Hollywood, but by
the people most likely to come up with crazy stuff that no
one else in the other corners of the world has probably thought
of - the Japanese.
Although there are several tweaks as compared
to the Moore and Swayze original, like the role reversal of
its couple – the female partner dies in this one and
the male is the ceramist, ‘Ghost’ essentially
takes on the same romantic fantasy plot. For those, like me,
who were too young to experience the cultural impact of this
early nineties movie, watching the remake would probably not
help us get any closer to that. If you are wondering just
what form of cultural impact took place based on a movie about
a girl and her lover from another dimension, do know that
it did bag, amongst other accolades, an Oscar Best Picture
nomination in 1991. It seems that nothing much has changed
and there is still something about the love between a person
and a supernatural being that sets people off. Well, at least
the ghost lover in this movie does not sparkle; she just glows
with heavenly light.
To be fair, some effort has been made in
updating the movie according to the tastes of today’s
audiences. Featuring dreamy retro-tinged scenes of Tokyo’s
suburbs and a handsome and sensitive Korean character as the
male lead, it is obvious that the producers are aiming for
a piece of the current East Asian zeitgeist. Looking and feeling
very much like a heartwarming Korean drama, fans of the genre
might be easily pleased at watching two good-looking people
taking their time to fall in love and stay in love despite
obstacles.
Song Seung Heon, model and familiar face
of K-dramas like ‘East of Eden’ and ‘Autumn
Fairy Tale’, plays Juno Kim – a Korean ceramist
who lives in Tokyo. His girlfriend is Nanami – acted
by another well-known East Asian star Nanako Matsushima. Even
if you are not a fan of Japanese dramas, you might remember
her as the lead in ‘The Ring’. Both of them play
their parts with a certain tender conservativeness and sensitivity
that is probably not unusual for mainstream Asian romantic
movies. To be honest, it is no Hollywood romcom, so if you
do not enjoy beautiful people staring longingly into each
other’s eyes for the longest time and having sweet and
unassuming interaction, then you would probably be better
off watching Natalie Portman’s romantic movies.
The
saving grace to the slowness of ‘Ghost’ is Whoopi
Goldberg’s equivalent – Satsuki Unten the fake
psychic. With her stereotypical crazy old psychic expression
and jittery demeanor, she adds laughter and a twist of craziness
to the already quite absurd situation. As she is contacted
by Nanami and proceeds to discover that her fake psychic powers
are not so fake anymore, hilarity ensues as she tries to convince
the grieving boyfriend that his girlfriend is still around
and there is more to her death than is known. The eventual
tragic parting after all the unfinished business is completed
is guaranteed to draw some tears – only if you can get
over the fact that she is a ghost and that dead people can
return in movies.
Movie Rating:
(Suspend your disbelief, draw out your inner romantic and
practice some patience for this one)
Reviewed by Siti Nursyafiqa
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