Shady (2012)

Risa is a slightly chubby teenage girl with no friends at school. She is constantly bullied by a pack of girls led by Marisa who calls her “Pooh-san” as her surname is Kumada (Kuma means bear in Japanese). She becomes surprised when one of the cutest girls at her school Izumi wants to become friends with her. Izumi’s explanation is all the other girls are jealous of her looks. So the two outsiders hook up and become friends. As a result of Izumi’s friendship, Risa self-esteen grows and two become close. However, Risa soon starts to suspect that something is not quite right with Izumi and her false smile as she constantly wants to be around her. Even her feeding of the science room goldfish and her pet budgie at home are relegated to the back burner such is Izumi’s need for her attention. What Risa discovers about Izumi is the stuff of nightmares……..

This superb debut feature from director Ryohei Watanabe (who also wrote the script) is a very deceiving movie on the surface. The plot starts out innocently enough and perfectly captures a genuine friendship between two outsiders at school who find solace in each other. The two girls soon spend all of their time together with the friendship slowly but surely beginning to turn very intimate between them. The viewer is made aware early on that something is not quite right with Izumi but it’s hard to point out what exactly that is until the nightmarish reality is revealed during the second half. The subtle hints of the darkness that’s to come are there for all to see: the missing classmate of both girls, why is Izumi living alone in a big house and where are her parents? The movie asks the questions: how well do we really know our friends? Is any of them hiding a dark secret you know nothing about?

A big part of why this movie works so well is due to the incredible acting by the two leads in mimpi*β and Izumi Okamura. Their portrayal of two vulnerable individuals with an unhealthy relationship is superb and believable. Okamura is chilling as the psychotic schoolgirl. I was very impressed by her. mimpi*β is also brilliant as the girl whose demeanour changes due to her friendship with Izumi and it will be easy to sympathise with her given that the majority of us will have seen something similar happen during our time at high school. It’s true that having a friend boosts our confidence. The director must also be congratulated for the way he builds up this movie into such a nerve shredding experience. He takes things slowly revealing layers little by little until the full horror of the situation is unveiled. By the time the climax has come around you are literally on the edge of your seat and chewing your fingernails! The scares that come are thrust upon the viewer when you least expect them. It’s brilliant the way he twists what is initially an ordinary friendship tale between two girls into a terrifying psychological drama and this is due to his skill also as a scriptwriter. Watanabe has penned a taut storyline and the pacing of the movie is perfect. Even the camera angles and the colours used in this movie is fantastic. This movie has been universally praised in nearly all film festivals it’s been shown. You wouldn’t think that Watanabe was a newbie director as he’s handled everything like a veteran filmmaker.

Shady is an incredibly gripping and disturbing teenage drama about the sinister side of friendship from a promising new director. It’s a great start to his career and bodes well for the future. I look forward to Watanabe’s next project and hope it’ll be just as good as this movie. Highly recommended.

Sadako’s Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

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