Dark Water (film): Difference between revisions

The film follows Yoshimi Matsubara, who is in the midst of a messy custody battle with her (highly unpleasant) ex-husband over their young daughter, Ikuko. Desperate to prove herself to be a fit parent to Ikuko, she moves herself and Ikuko into their own place, which happens to be an apartment held in a run-down old building. The building is somewhat eerie, but it suits Yoshimi just fine, for the time being. However, shortly after moving in, she notices that the ceiling of their apartment has a sinister and inexplicable damp patch, which continues to expand day by day. In the midst of Yoshimi finding a new job and Ikuko starting a new school, many strange and frightening events occur, several of which involve the mysterious appearance (and subsequent re-appearances) of a child's red bag. Eventually, Yoshimi discovers the horrifying truth behind these events, and realises that she and her daughter are in huge danger from the supernatural force permeating the apartment block.

 

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== '''This film contains examples of:''' ==

* [[Creepy Child]]: Mitsuko, big time. Also, Ikuko, usually the epitome of cuteness, has a couple of moments like this, such as the scene where {{spoiler|she slowly starts to open the red bag, as if possessed, with an ''unbelievably'' creepy expression on her face}}. ''Brrrr''.

* [[Crusty Caretaker]]: Present in both, but taken up to [[Jerkass|eleven]] in the American remake.

* [[Distant Finale]]: In the Japanese version.

* [[The Faceless]]: Mituko's face is usually partially (sometimes completely) hidden or obscured throughout the movie (it's even difficult to make out in her "missing person" poster) - at least, until {{spoiler|the climactic elevator scene}}.

* [[Mind Screw]]: The American remake {{spoiler|is [[Epileptic Trees|incredibly vague]] on whether it was all in Dahlia's mind, or a true haunting. [[Gainax Ending|Or both]]}}.

* [[Parental Abandonment]]: Yoshimi was abandoned by her mother at a young age. The same thing happened to Mitsuko. {{spoiler|It's pretty obvious why Yoshimi feels some empathy for the little ghost.}}

* [[Slasher Smile]]: May or may not be intentional, but the smile on Ikuko's face when she first discovers the red bag is horribly unsettling. Much later, when she starts to {{spoiler|open the bag}}, her smile manages to be even creepier. The way she is smiling in both of these scenes, the way the scenes are filmed and the accompanying creepy music score [[Alternate Character Interpretation|seem to imply that she may be supernaturally compelled]] to pick up and {{spoiler|open}} the bag.

* [[Smug Smiler]]: Yoshimi's ex-husband.