This film is completely misunderstood. The movie is a hot mess, and to be fair you really need to have a pretty high tolerance for squealing Japanese Jr. High school girls to get through parts of Shirome. But the most important thing about Shirome is that it really isn't a horror movie, and to understand that you have to understand the films principle actresses, Momoiro Clover.
Momoiro Clover is part of Stardust Promotions, and some of the girls in the group have been in the industry since age 7. Idol's lives pretty much consist of work and group activities. These girls all went to a school for entertainers that was filled with other children who had no concept of the real world. Children in Idol groups are very good at just going along with things. A Japanese Idol has only one job, and that is to make the fans like them. They are in a constant state of fan maintenance, whether it's taking pictures for social media while they're eating lunch or participating is bizarre promotional gimmicks. So, they tend to just go along with anything, as long as they can look cute doing it.
On top of this, there is the cultural aspect of Japanese spirituality. Most Japanese follow the Shinto religion, and there is an incredibly rich cultural heritage that worships local deities and demons of all types. There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 80,000 shrines in Japan, and all Japanese people respect and revere these shrines regardless of their actual religion.
Add in a director who has a bit of a sadistic side, and these are, quite literally, the perfect conditions to convince 6 girls that a local deity that may help a budding girl group on their path to stardom actually exists. Well, I should say 5 girls. But I'll get to that in a moment...
Shirome is often described as a found footage film. What it really is, is the documentary of one of the greatest practical jokes ever perpetrated on a Japanese Idol group. There is no script because the only acting consisted of not letting the cat out of the bag. In fact, the director was discouraged from making the girls act by the groups manager.
Hayami Akari was the only girl in the group with any real acting ability. She was brought in on the secret just before the scene where the girls spend the night together in the studio. They needed her to increase the drama for the rest of the girls and to keep them focused. The director also wanted something to add special effects to later. Later, Hayami was asked to collapse in the scene after the concert for the same reason.
Other than that, the film is genuine MomoClo through and through. Even the scene in the car ride is genuine. Self-introductions are a part of Idol culture and is considered to be very important for people new to the industry. The reactions to the storyteller, except for Hayami's, are genuine. Their belief (or at least their willingness to believe) that a supernatural entity would either help them or destroy them is real. The girls obvious distress in the abandoned school was real. The concert they were asking for Shirome's blessing for was a real concert.
If the story behind Shirome seems a bit cruel, I suggest watching a few Japanese game shows. Pranks are part and parcel of the Idol industry. Shirome simply documents the most elaborate example. By the standards of the usual practical jokes played on Idols for the sake of their fans, Shirome is pure genius!
Momoiro Clover is part of Stardust Promotions, and some of the girls in the group have been in the industry since age 7. Idol's lives pretty much consist of work and group activities. These girls all went to a school for entertainers that was filled with other children who had no concept of the real world. Children in Idol groups are very good at just going along with things. A Japanese Idol has only one job, and that is to make the fans like them. They are in a constant state of fan maintenance, whether it's taking pictures for social media while they're eating lunch or participating is bizarre promotional gimmicks. So, they tend to just go along with anything, as long as they can look cute doing it.
On top of this, there is the cultural aspect of Japanese spirituality. Most Japanese follow the Shinto religion, and there is an incredibly rich cultural heritage that worships local deities and demons of all types. There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 80,000 shrines in Japan, and all Japanese people respect and revere these shrines regardless of their actual religion.
Add in a director who has a bit of a sadistic side, and these are, quite literally, the perfect conditions to convince 6 girls that a local deity that may help a budding girl group on their path to stardom actually exists. Well, I should say 5 girls. But I'll get to that in a moment...
Shirome is often described as a found footage film. What it really is, is the documentary of one of the greatest practical jokes ever perpetrated on a Japanese Idol group. There is no script because the only acting consisted of not letting the cat out of the bag. In fact, the director was discouraged from making the girls act by the groups manager.
Hayami Akari was the only girl in the group with any real acting ability. She was brought in on the secret just before the scene where the girls spend the night together in the studio. They needed her to increase the drama for the rest of the girls and to keep them focused. The director also wanted something to add special effects to later. Later, Hayami was asked to collapse in the scene after the concert for the same reason.
Other than that, the film is genuine MomoClo through and through. Even the scene in the car ride is genuine. Self-introductions are a part of Idol culture and is considered to be very important for people new to the industry. The reactions to the storyteller, except for Hayami's, are genuine. Their belief (or at least their willingness to believe) that a supernatural entity would either help them or destroy them is real. The girls obvious distress in the abandoned school was real. The concert they were asking for Shirome's blessing for was a real concert.
If the story behind Shirome seems a bit cruel, I suggest watching a few Japanese game shows. Pranks are part and parcel of the Idol industry. Shirome simply documents the most elaborate example. By the standards of the usual practical jokes played on Idols for the sake of their fans, Shirome is pure genius!