The Japan Foundation's Touring Film Programme has once again returned for 2018! The programme began this year from the 2nd of February 2018 at 18 different locations, and will be ending on the 28th of March 2018. The first venue where the film programme has taken place is none other than the ICA otherwise known as the Institute of Contemporary Arts, located in central London.
Out of a choice of films, I decided for my first complimentary screening to watch 'The Dark Maidens'. The film was released last year in April 2017. The synopsis as described by the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme states:
'Set in an academy for daughters of the rich and powerful, this murder mystery involves six girls with a dark secret. Literature club chairman Itsumi Shiraishi (Marie Iitoyo), has fallen to her death from the school roof. Rumours soon circulate that one of the members of the literature club is the culprit. New chairman and friend of the victim, Sayuri Sumikawa (Fumika Shimizu), holds a meeting and asks each member to recount their whereabouts at the time of Itsumi's death. Who is telling a lie and what really happened to Itsumi?'
To describe the film in my own words, I would have to say that the film is rather intriguing. Whilst it conveys uncommon themes, straying away from mainstream cinema, it continues to develop and keep you interested. To highlight some themes conveyed in the film, there is mystery, some eroticism, school life and also highlights concepts of homosexual themes.
Though I cannot reveal too much as that spoils the fun of solving the mystery. I believe then once you start watching, you think you've solved the mystery, but next thing you know another arc is unveiled which heightens the tension and mystery in the film. What I particularly find interesting about this film is that each girl of the literature club has their very own perspective described through a literary novel. The perspectives differ between each character, providing a rather compelling development. We find out more about how a character is built through their individual stories, all in-turn revealing a suspect of the murder once each story ends.
If you're looking for an unpredictable tale, which keeps you on your feet, then this film may be the one for you! There's more to what meets the eye, as each character arc seemingly becomes more gripping as the film progresses. At times I was thinking that the way the film changed was rather explicit, but even before the movie began, Junko Takegawa, the senior director of the programme revealed its unrealistic approach.
If you're located in Kendal, Stirling or Sheffield, there are still screenings for 'The Dark Maidens' through the Japan Foundation's Touring Film Programme, so check it out here!
Furthermore, if you would like more details about the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme, check out their site!
Tune in next time, to find out about my upcoming film review for 'Sword of the Stranger', an animation film which I will be attending a screening for at Broadway, Nottingham. Thanks for reading! ^^
