[.ca] Dark Water

Dark and dank:
After massive success with the "Ringu" movies, Hideo Nakata tackled another of Koji Suzuki's novels: the dark, dank horror novella "Dark Water." While the acting is top-notch and the direction is pretty good, the film has some of the worst dubbing I have ever heard. Yoshimi Matsubara (Hitomi Kuroki) is in the middle of a messy divorce and custody battle over her daughter Ikuko (Rio Kanno). Starting on a new life, Yoshimi gets a new job and new apartment in a run-down building. Its only flaw is rotten drinking water and a leak in the middle of the bedroom ceiling. But as the leak grows, so do Yoshimi's problems -- a child's bag keeps reappearing, a dead child keeps appearing in the building, and her daughter keeps talking to the nonexistant "Mit-chan." It all centers on the water tank on the rooftop -- and the horrific price that Yoshimi may have to pay to keep Ikuko safe... After "Ringu" and "Ringu 2," it seems appropriate that Nakata's next work was another one of Koji Suzuki's horror stories, although amped up a bit, and with a new ending. This movie feels a bit like the apartment complex: dark, dank, a bit grimy and somewhat claustrophobic. It seems like the perfect place for a person who is questioning her sanity. "Dark Water" is not Hideo Nakata's best work; compared to the "Ringu" movies, it seems rather clumsy. A few of the climactic scenes are unintentionally funny, such as when the green, slimy, faceless ghost rushes Yoshimi. But Nakata manages a sense of lingering dread throughout the movie, and includes a powerful, tragic finale that sticks in the viewer's mind long after the movie has ended. Kuriko puts in a very good performance as Yoshimi, letting her face and eyes express the character's sorrow, rage, fear or love. She dips over the top in the lawyer's offices, but remains a powerful presence, especially in the final scenes. Ranno gives a pretty standard performance as Ikuko, except for her final appearance, when she seems to be overwhelmed with misery. But if the acting is good, the dubbing is nowhere near as good. It's bad. Really bad. Most of the dubbed voicework sounds painfully affected and hammy; Yoshimi is a strong and determined woman, but sounds ditzy and breathy here. The worst is Ikuko, who sounds at least five years older than she is. Whose brilliant idea was that? Hideo Nakata doesn't quite strike gold here, but "Dark Water" is a creepy, dank horror movie with an unexpected finale. Too bad they couldn't leave the atrocious dubs out of it.