I've seen a handful of Asian musicals: Dasepo Naughty Girls (2006), Happiness of the Katakuris (2001), Memories of Matsuko (2006), Perhaps Love (2005), Princess Raccoon (2005), Hole (1998), Fox Family (2006), etc. Takashi Miike's entry was probably my favorite, until watching this unexpectedly PHENOMENAL film a few years ago.
In Midnight Ballad for Ghost Theater (aka Ghost Theater) (2006), a girl visits a haunted movie theater and befriends a quirky family of dead amateur actors. Some Japanese and Korean horror/drama films use traditional settings and architecture to great effect (old mansions, theaters, etc.) – Tamami (2008), Orochi (2008) and Ghost Theater (2006) are good examples. There's something special about an old building with lots of creaky floors, candles, and cobwebs. This movie has those bells and whistles in abundance, since the entire film basically takes place within the old cinema where the ghosts reside.
Another big attraction of Ghost Theater are the songs. I kid you not, I re-played two of them at least a dozen times after my first viewing and almost fell off my couch while seat-dancing. The music is of a wide variety, from spooky dances to "pissed-off girl rock" to slow melancholy tunes. I purchased the soundtrack online and have listened to it quite a bit over the past few years. And unlike many musicals, the songs are not just slapped in haphazardly. The placement, lyrics, and mood of each song provides a lot of character development and insight.
With regards to the quirky characters, they're a lot of fun to watch because they have a restrained sense of lunacy. It's difficult to think of any moments that lost control and descended into irritating wackiness, which is a big positive. No eye-rolling here, just a perpetual grin across the viewer's face. Every ghost is given adequate time to shine numerous times, and the girl protagonist really opens up during the latter half.
This is the single most entertaining film I saw during 2009 due to its fantastic musical interludes, moody architecture, high quality acting, unexpected plot turns, lovable characters, and soaring imagination. One unique element is the story's utilization of a faux classic black-and-white, silent horror film about a bull-man, using traditional filmmaking methods and a live voice-over which leads to the film's unique, satisfying finale.
I have yet to see a film with more heart than this. Almost completely unknown, but absolutely phenomenal. Essential viewing that will now occupy a yearly time slot in my Halloween movie schedule.
