Best described as Freaky Friday meets Lolita

Most of the time, Filmbrain writes about films he's seen that he likes/loves/respects/admires etc. This is due (in part) to his conscious decision to steer clear of films he knows he'll hate -- i.e., just about everything at the multiplex. Yet occasionally a film sneaks its way in that appears promising, but is in fact a glorious failure. Yojiro Takita's Himitsu (Secret) is one of those films. Filmbrain can honestly not remember why this wound up in his Cinflix queue -- maybe he read a review of it somewhere. The DVD was sitting on his desk for nearly two months before he got around to watching it, and as he put it in the player he had no idea what to expect.

The premise is a gutsy one, to be sure. Heisuke and Naoko are a rather typical but extremely happily married middle-aged couple with a teenage daughter, Monami. Naoko and Monami are in a freakish bus accident, and Naoko dies as a result, but at the moment of her death she somehow sends her spirit into Monami's body. (We never really learn what happens to Naoko's spirit.) Heisuke then finds himself living with his wife in his daughter's body. The creepy complications that follow are pretty obvious, but instead of turning into a complicated (and perhaps more interesting) psychosexual drama with incestuous overtones, it simply becomes a Hallmark-channel quality weepy. Sure, some screen time is spent on the sexual dance of "will they or won't they" but it's all handled rather superficially -- and this is the problem with the film as a whole. For slightly over two hours, we get to see Naoko enjoy her new young body whilst Heisuke jealousy broods at home. Yawn.

Unlike the slew of other actors who have played the child in an adult body (or vice-versa), Ryoko Hirosue (star of Love Collage, another film Filmbrain hated) turns in a performance so flat, that there's no noticeable difference when she switches between Naoko and Monami.

Filmbrain suspects that unlike virtually every other Asian film, Secret won't be bought by Hollywood for a remake, given the touchy subject matter. Avoid at all costs, unless you are in dire need for some schmaltz.

Posted at 07:11 AM in Film | Permalink

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Oh, but the idea HAS been picked up by Hollywood, scarily enough:
http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/view.bg?articleid=43450

Posted by: Aaron Hillis | 2004.09.09 at 10:14 AM

Oh, but the idea HAS been picked up by Hollywood, scarily enough:
http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/view.bg?articleid=43450

Posted by: Aaron Hillis | 2004.09.09 at 10:15 AM

Well -- hopefully this will be slightly better. . .

Posted by: Filmbrain | 2004.09.09 at 05:00 PM

Ack... but now at least I know your secret: Cinflix! Now I'll catch up on all those Korean movies you've been talking about.

Meanwhile, DreamWorks is going to remake Ikiru, excuse me while I get a insulin shot.

Posted by: whump | 2004.09.10 at 02:57 AM

With Tom Hanks in the lead role!

This is truly cinematic hell.

Posted by: FIlmbrain | 2004.09.10 at 09:08 AM

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