Onmyoji: The Yin Yang Master

An extraordinary period piece, Onmyoji masquerades as a simple fantasy morality tale, but it has many more layers than are immediately obvious. There's an enigmatic quality to the characters' relationships that actually makes the viewer think about what's taking place between the characters. Not only is it a strikingly beautiful film, but the performances are flawless all around. The story is fresh, the actors are interesting. With a couple of very minor exceptions, the special effects are interesting in a way that they often aren't in the standard American blockbuster. In some ways it's what Star Wars - wished- it were, but isn't. Now that Onmyoji is available on DVD, I hope it becomes more accessible in America. This film easily deserves the level of success attained by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon