The Women in the Lakes (2024)

That happened.

This film is a rather twisted tail, and in short I will say that if the trailer catches your eye, it is probably right for you.

If you’re looking for something dark with lots of tense - at times unbearably so - moments, dive right on in. I’d joke about there being something for every kind of thriller/mystery enjoyer - a tense criminal investigation, the darker side of humanity, forbidden connections being made, untellable desperation.

I have mixed feelings about some aspects upon reflection, however these are possibly gripes to do with target audience not including me. I’d put this down as noir and it was certainly reflected by the cinema audience; that being a handful of senior citizens (predominantly men), a young couple that left halfway through, and myself.

What is done well? Acting, casting, cinematography, visual and sound design. The acting in particular was immaculate, regardless of taste in what was being acted out.

What didn’t sit so well with me? Mainly the meekness of the female lead, which, it later became clear to me was the draw for the target audience. There was indulgence of the male fantasy that may alienate some, as it somewhat did me.

The nitty-gritty with me and the female lead was the obvious choices made about how she used her voice. The deliberately high pitch, soft breathy tone, combined with a stature I might describe as frail in my own bias, did not sit well with me. Most women are not like this, in Japan or otherwise, and it in some ways drew a line that separated the film from plausible reality. I’m not demanding all female characters be strong in stature or have deep voices, I’d just say such an intense portrayal of these typically “appealing” to some, delicate feminine traits, is not really for me. [Again, quite possibly a target audience issue.] Although I will also at this point take time to mention that the other female characters do not embody these same characteristics, which helps. I very much liked the journalist character and all of her onscreen moments.

Nonetheless, I did very much enjoy the film and the setting (in rural Japan, using dialect) gave it a more distinct flavour that allows it to stand out positively within the thriller/noir genre. It also made aspects of the story more plausible because of being removed from the interconnected network of the city.

[Watched at opening weekend.]

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