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Released by: Bone House Asia
Released on: 11/25/2008
Director: Higuchinsky
Cast: Eriko Hatsuni, Masami Horiuchi, Shuuji Kashiwabara, Tsugumi
Year: 2000
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The Movie:
Shortly after Japanese filmmaker Higuchinsk earned himself a bit of a cult following with the wonderfully bizarre Uzumaki, he directed another film based on the manga of Junji Ito (whose comics have been used as source material for the Tomie series as well) entitled Long Dream. Made for Japanese television and shot on digital video in 2000, the film follows a recently widowed doctor named Kuroda (Masami Horiuchi) who has been tasked with taking care of a psychiatric patient named Tetsuro Mukouda (Shuuji Kashiwabara) who has checked himself into a mental hospital in hopes of getting some help with a strange problem he's been having. You see, Tetsuro suffers from incredibly long dreams that he claims can last months or even years in a single night. As Tetsuro's dreams become longer and longer, his body begins to age accordingly.
While all of this is going on, a second doctor named Yamauchi (Kenjiro Tsuda) is working with a female patient named Mami (Tsugumi), how becomes increasingly irate that the odd Tetsuro is wandering around the hospital. Mami tells Yamauchi that she knows death is stalking her, while Kuroda uses the results of the tests and studies he's done on the patients in an attempt to prove that human beings can actually achieve immortality.
A strange film that forces the viewer to decide for him or herself what is actually happening in the physical realm and what is happening inside the minds of those who appear in the movie, Long Dream is a quirky and unusual picture. Parts of the movie feel like they should push the envelope a little more and it's likely that the made for TV budget forced Higuchinsky to reel things in just a little bit more than maybe he should have given the nature of the story he's telling.
Performance wise, the movie is well cast and Higuchinsky manages to create a lot of good atmosphere here. At under an hour in length the film moves along at a nice pace and it's never dull even if you get the impression that the material isn't being milked for all it could have been. Junji Ito's work has rightfully earned a reputation for being macabre and bizarre and Higuchinsky keeps that tone with his adaptation of the man's work but the film never really delves deep enough into the psyches of the various players to provide sufficient motivation for what actually transpires. The result is an enjoyably odd film that is entertaining enough in its own weird way, but one that you can't help feel should have been better, particularly when you consider how damn good Uzumaki was.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The film is presented in non-anamorphic 1.78.1 widescreen, which is obviously a bit of a disappointment. The feature was shot on video so it's a bit soft looking but otherwise it looks perfectly acceptable in this presentation even if this isn't a reference quality transfer. Colors look good and black levels are reasonably strong even if detail levels waver a bit here and there. You won't notice any edge enhancement but some minor compression artifacts do show up from time to time.
The Japanese language Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track is fine. Dialogue is clean and clear and there are no problems with the levels or with any hiss or distortion. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are included which are easy to read and free of any typos.
Here's where this release really excels, as there's quite a bit of supplemental material here. First up is an interview with creator Junji Ito (4:01) where he explains the origins of the story and what inspired him to write it in the first place. From there, we get an interview with the film's director, Higuchinsky (5:16), where, with his face hidden behind some digital mosaics (he doesn't want to be seen), he talks about his obsession with Junji Ito's work, what it means to him, and why he likes to work with him. A third interview features Shuuji Kashiwabara (3:49) who talks about his experiences working on the picture, what it was like working with the various participants and how he feels about his character and his work in the picture.
A section of Bonus Interview (6:06) features Higuchinsky and Junji Ito elaborating on some of the ideas that they touched upon in their other interviews, as they talk about comic books, specific actors and actresses and creative/working methods.
Rounding out the extra are a trailer for the feature, trailers for a few other Tidepoint Pictures releases, animated menus and chapter stops.
The Final Word:
An interesting mix of ideas and images, Long Dream has its moments and for Junji Ito fans, it's worth a look. That said, the picture is wildly uneven and at times rather vacant. It's definitely worth seeing for Ito fans, but not quite essential viewing.