Melancholic

A decent but somewhat inconspicuous mix of drama and crime. Melancholic is a film that's been building up a very solid reputation ever since it was released, maybe that's why I expected something more. At least something more distinctive, I just couldn't figure out what was supposed to be so special about this one.

Kazuhiko has just graduated from one of the top universities in Japan, but lands himself a job at a local bath house where he sits behind the counter and cleans the bath area. Until one evening, when he discovers that the bath house is used as a place to kill people and get rid of their corpses.

Performances are decent and the premise is interesting enough. The styling is rather plain though and the film's a little long-winded. It seems director Tanaka relied a bit too much on the fun setup and got a little lazy with the execution. It's not bad for a first film, it's just not all that remarkable.