Reviews & Ratings for
Isola: Tajuu jinkaku shôjo More at IMDbPro »

8 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
a strange dark dream, 8 June 2004
Author: mightymezzo from San Jose, CA

This was shown on International Channel as "Isola: Persona 13." I found this interesting, with its references to the stories of "Ugetsu Monogatari" and characters whose lives have been upended-- physically and spiritually-- by the 1995 Kobe earthquake. The girl Chihiro's world was shattered long before this, by the car accident which killed her parents and her subsequent abuse at the hands of the uncle who adopted her. The film captures the quiet agony of characters who are "different" in a society that values cohesion and uniformity. The events and revelations play out rather quietly until the end, and the film rewards the viewer's patience and attention.

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
ending didn't suck :3, 17 July 2005

Author: Sammy_Can from Canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Isola was a very good movie, i was impressed with the way it was done. i am a fan of any psychological disorder portrayed in movies, and thankful that M.P.D was not blown out of proportion as it is in most films. the 'out-of-body' part was interesting and i thought it was well integrated into the film, though when the guy first says the doctor was found naked and coverd in white sticky stuff.. you tend to get another idea. i'm was also impressed with the ending, it made sense. from watching Hollywood films the majority of my life i'm far to used to the stupid endings, but this one made sense and for once in the life of any movie didn't leave open for a sequel (which far to many movies do..*coughcoughHIDEANDSEEKcoughcough*) i suggest that people check this movie out, i bought it for 24.99 Canadian which is fairly inexpensive, and well worth every penny

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Isola..., 10 January 2005

Author: psyence-1 from United States

I believe this was a very well made movie. It had famous Japanese actors. Very well written and acted out I wanted to correct a few things on the first review.

There was NOT any teen nudity. Those were adult actors and the nudity wasn't enough of anything to even be upset about. Especially to Japanese viewers. That's not considered anything bad.

I don't see where you thought everything looked dark either. Because when I watched it, it was very crisp and clear.

I think this movie was a very good explanation of spiritual possession. Many of the statements were very realistic. People that are interested in supernatural and out of body experiences would be interested in this type of movie.

Very good movie.

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Atmospheric and cerebral; not your basic horror flick [spoilers], 1 May 2004

Author: Don Miller (donjmiller) from Portland, Oregon, USA

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

[Potential spoilers ahead] First, I want to make it clear that I saw this movie in Japanese with English subtitles, which (by the way) seemed to be well done, as far as I can tell without understanding Japanese. I'm surprised its IMDB rating is so low - dislike of subtitles, perhaps? - below some genuinely depressing flicks. I enjoyed it, with the sole exception of a brief bit of visual effects near the end that's both cheesy and unneeded. The plot is plausible, especially for its genre, the characters are well-realized and it's nicely shot and edited, with a score that gently enhances - almost no cheating by beating you up with music and sound effects, all too commonly done. [Here are the Spoilers] The idea that someone's "soul" can be set adrift during an out-of-body-experience by the death of her body, and that the "soul" can then find a home within a person with multiple personalities (always room for one more?) is less incredible than the central ideas of many popular movies. The mind-reading ability of the main character is presented in a believable fashion, with attention paid to its effects on her.

6 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Multiple Direction Disorder, 2 May 2004
Author: movie_droid

The premise of this movie was good. A girl suffering from multiple personality disorder with a hidden personality threatening to destroy it all, along the way came a psychic who wanted to help, but the psychic herself needed help.

Unfortunately, in the middle of the movie, it changed direction and drifted into spirits. So, the audience was left with an empty shell of an enticing plotline. It became your standard ghost story.

The movie also failed to delve enough into the girl or the psychic. The audience was left wondering - who exactly was the psychic? What was her background? How came she did not remember her name? Each scene just raised new questions, instead of answering previous questions.

As a whole, the movie just did not work for me.

0 out of 36 people found the following review useful:
Unpleasant ISOLA-tion, 1 May 2004
Author: Pro Jury

It is the final lost episode of NIGHT GALLERY and Rod Serling made it in Japan -- OK, not really.

Made in Japan, ISOLA has two attractive actresses and some (unnecessary) teen nudity, but sadly nothing can bring this movie exploring death to life.

Dark... in more ways than one. Most of ISOLA is shot at night using the hand-held shaky camera technic. In other words, it is difficult to see what is happening! Even the daytime shots are grey and murky.

ISOLA is slow and boring (just as I found THE 6TH SENSE and DONNIE DARKO to be). The subtitles are just OK... "There is know way to find her..." etc.

Interestingly, ISOLA has a scene where an elderly Japanese man shares shame for surrendering and not being killed with his men during WWII. The exact same thing occurs in 1998's WANDAFURU RAIFU (AFTERLIFE) also made in Japan http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165078/ . It seems modern Japanese movie makers still feel angst about being defeated nearly 60 years ago.

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