With Mermaid in a Manhole, mangaka Hideshi Hino has made his second film in the Guinea Pig saga. The story is simple and brilliant: a painter discovers a mermaid in the sewers. We have a film that oscillates between the Fantastic genre (in the French sense) and something more magical, like a fairy tale. I have to say that the simple fact that there is a mermaid in this film is already great, but her magnificent costume, the quality of the makeup, the work of color captivated me. Despite the place of the supernatural, the film treats the question of the mermaid realistically (what encountering such a creature entails). It's true a mermaid in our world... discovered by a Japanese painter! The story is beautiful and melancholic, it speaks of suffering, art, fear, envy. Yes, there is gore - it's a true Guinea Pig - and in a rather unique way: the grotesque and the disgust meet the sublime.
There is obviously a certain metaphysical dimension in the appearance of the creature in the film, the relationship of this painter to the world, etc... Each spectator will see what they want.
The relationship between this man and the mermaid is overwhelming, body horror and the destruction of beings are themes explored in depth in the work.
For all these reasons, and many others, Mermaid in a Manhole is a gem.
There is obviously a certain metaphysical dimension in the appearance of the creature in the film, the relationship of this painter to the world, etc... Each spectator will see what they want.
The relationship between this man and the mermaid is overwhelming, body horror and the destruction of beings are themes explored in depth in the work.
For all these reasons, and many others, Mermaid in a Manhole is a gem.