Under Your Bed

A rather peculiar film by Mari Asato. It's a far stretch from the type of horror films she usually makes, but that's not a bad thing. Generic J-Horror cinema won't be missing her, this mix of traditional Japanese drama and Wakamatsu-like oppression has a lot more to offer and is much harder to come by.

Naoto is the type of person who fades into the background. People rarely remember him and he gets left out whenever there's a group activity. There's only one girl who ever took notice of him. A good decade later, he bumps into her again, and he hopes to reconnect with her. Sadly, she wound up in an unhealthy marriage.

The film looks and behaves like a regular Japanese drama, but with themes like misogyny, stalking, borderline-incel behavior, and whatnot, this clearly is anything but your average drama. It's an interesting film alright, the only problem is that Asato's directorial input felt a little slim. Solid and intriguing, but lacking a more personal signature.