Melancholia

This is a notice for all buyers that the film being sold here is a Japanese film, not an American film of the same name. The cover is of the Japanese horror film. The descriptions are mixed up-the cast is listed as all American names but yet the description shows that the film is in Japanese-and the time, date of release and studio all match the Japanese film of the same name.Here is the description off the back cover:"Following her father's death, Mirai moves into a house with her uncle and his wife but finds herself lost and confused as she begins to have horrible visions. Mysteriously people around her begin dying one by one and Mirai sets off on a desperate search into her past in an attempt to find the murderer. The past uncovers a mystery that is linked to a startling family secret."OK, I watched this film and it starts off like it was a made-for-TV movie, and by that I only mean the lighting is different-it has that television show quality. The story starts off a bit disjointed but picks up when Miria starts having these visions and friends get killed off. As she investigates (with help from a cute friend that has more than a friendly interest in her), she digs deeper and deeper into a mystery that could get her killed trying to solve it. It has some good plot twists and the ending isn't predictable, so it is fresh enough that fans of Asian horror will likely be satisfied. I gave it four stars because there is always room for improvement.

Very low budget J-horror. I usually prefer smaller movies with good stories instead of fancy effects with bad stories. But in my opinion this was not much of a story, nor was it acted/directed well.IMDB doesn't even have a page for it. I tried searching by director (Takaaki Ezura) and the lead actors (Hikaru Kawamura, Mikio Sato) to no avail.My time would have been much better spent rewatching Cure, A Tale of Two Sisters, Spider Forrest etc.

"Melancholia" is part of the six-part V-cinema series called "Series Kyofu Yawa" ("Series Horror Night Tale") that includes  Demon Hunting , The Last Coffin , Legend of Ogre , and  In the Site . The series is a try-out for new talent, and director Takaaki Ezura is making his first feature hereThe Kyofu Yawa series is extremely low-budget, filmed on digital video and staring mostly amateur cast. The level of filmmaking and action is about the same as a cheap TV movie, and no one should mistake this for a feature film. At 90 minutes "Melancholia" is a pretty short flick.The story follows a group of friends who gather one last time at a park that will soon be developed into a housing complex. One of the girls is moving away, and the friends are saying goodbye. The girl moves in with her aunt and uncle, and things start to get weird from there. In her new house, she hears noises coming from a room that she is forbidden to enter. Meanwhile, her old friends are being visited and murdered by the same girl, who appears to be able to be in two places at once. Eventually, secrets start coming out and she learns that she is a twin clone, created by a mad scientist who wanted to do a study on human morality and raised two genetically identical people in different circumstances to see how they would come out.I have seen a few of the Kyofu Yawa series, so I know what to expect and keep my expectations low. For what it is, "Melancholia" isn't horrible. The cloning story adds some interest to a standard doppelganger plot, and the director and actors do their best in the confines of the budget. I have seen much, much better low-budget horror flicks, but I have also seen worse.For the lead actresses, Kyofu Yawa likes to recruit from the world of Japanese bikini models, and making an appearance here is Hikaru Kawamura. Hikaru looks pretty, but her acting mainly seems to consist of grabbing her head and screaming. I don't see a long movie career in front of her.Also, anyone seeing "bikini model" should not get the wrong idea. There is no cheesecake and Hikaru remains fully dressed as does everyone else. Anyone expecting a gore-fest had better look elsewhere as well, as the killing happens mostly off-frame.