Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2012

Shinya Tsukamoto is a fascinating, frustrating filmmaker who is not always able to realize in filmmaking technique what his creative mind comes up with. Fortunately, that is not the case with Kotoko.

Tsukamoto burst onto the scene in 1989 with his ultra-low-budget cyber-punk classic Tetsuo. Considered a landmark in Japanese contemporary cinema, the director tarnished it with a weak sequel (Tetsuo II) in 1992 and an even weaker re-invention in 2009 (Tetsuo: The Bullet Man). However, during that period he also made some brilliant psychological dramas that work on many levels (see Vital, 2004), and some stylish thrillers that work somewhat less well (Snake of June; 2002).

Kotoko, about a mentally disturbed woman who gives the film its title, sees him at the top of his game. J-pop star Cocco portrays a woman, and mother of a toddler, who has extreme paranoid delusions, nightmarish hallucinations and a nasty habit of mutilating herself. Tsukamoto’s excellent camerawork adds to the sense of disorientation and panic with extreme rushes, blurred visuals, double images and a host of phantasms that capture Kotoko’s panic.

The obvious touchstone here is Roman Polanski’s Repulsion, and I must say Tsukamoto’s work holds up against that masterpiece. Neighbor and respected author Tanaka (played by Tsukamoto himself) falls for Kotoko and makes it his job to bring her back to sanity, which adds an interesting poignancy, as does Kotoko’s habit of calming herself down by singing (performed by the pop star Cocco herself, naturally). It’s harrowing and hard to watch but an effective and powerful cinematic experience. (91 min)