Hana-Dama: The Origins

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Hana-Dama: The Origin (2014) (Japanese Horror/Drama).

A schoolgirl is relentlessly bullied in this film by Hisayasu Sato. The protagonist here is mentally tough, but decides to endure the bullying until she graduates. The first hour is a teen drama with some uncomfortable moments and nudity, but there is also a nice friendship dynamic between three bullied students. It does get pretty nasty though. The antagonists (which consist of students and teachers) are repugnant scumbags who will make the viewer's blood boil at times. The horror elements ramp up during the final half hour, and they are bizarre, bloody, and blackly humorous. Fans of oddball low budget stuff might want to check this out. It's definitely a bit different from the norm.

Recommended.

I am as big a fan of bizarre Japanese horror as the next guy, but I did not know what to make of this one. First, imagine if the rape scene in I Spit on Your Grave lasted 75 minutes. The tormenting of these kids seemingly never ends. And yes, there is a rape scene in there (it IS Japanese, after all), two or three depending on your definition, as one of the many forms of abuse. No privates are blurred, pixelated, or cleverly obstructed. That was a surprise.

I've read this is supposed to be darkly humorous. The only "comic relief," as it were, comes in the form of Mizuki's parents, who have some sort of strange relationship and fetishes. Ok, this is supposed to be a revenge movie... Eventually... Mizuki, one of the bully-ees, sprouts a flower on top of her head, then blood starts to spill. How? You've got me. A couple scenes in this movie seemed very real to me, and are done in extreme close-up. One is the cigarette burn to the thigh, and two is the first cut in the blood oath. What, does this guy think he's making The Bunny Game? If you want to be baffled and shocked, I suppose this accomplishes that much.