While going through an old hard-drive I came across a folder of old movies that I’d acquired at some point (though, truth be told, I don’t remember where or how) and one of them was a 2005 movie called Shinku (Deep Red) which I put aside to watch this afternoon.
When I began watching it, I didn’t remember anything about the storyline or who starred in it, and I was thrilled to realize the movie starred pretty Rina Uchiyama and the dazzling Asami Mizukawa, a big, BIG fave of mine whom I’d JUST been talking about on reddit this morning (discussing her awesome role in the excellent Yume Wo Kanaeru Zo)…looks like the timing was perfect to check this one out!
Deep Red is the tale of a girl named Kanako (Uchiyama) whose entire family was murdered one night while she was on a school trip as a child, and now, as a grown college student, seeks out the same-aged daughter of her family’s murderer. She finds the girl Miho (Mizukawa) working as a bartender, and without revealing who she is, Kanako befriends her to compare how her life has been since the incident as opposed to hers.
There is a lot of turbulence going on in Miho’s life as the long-running trials of her father have finally come to a conclusion and he is sentenced to death. Part of her hates her father for committing the crimes and leaving her, but some of her bitterness is aimed towards Kanako’s parents, whom we find are not as innocent as they seem.
As the friendship between Kanako and Miho grows, one also gets a growing sense of unease as the details of the crime come out and we learn that Kanako has a hidden unstable personality that seeks revenge on Miho for what her father has done. Will the two girls’ friendship hold or will the animosity between the families continue to the present day?
Along with Rina (whom I hadn’t seen in anything since I think “Strawberry on the Shortcake” YEARS ago), Maki Horikita stars as the younger Kanako. the always affable Takashi Tuskamoto appears as Kanako’s boyfriend, and the wonderful Yoshiko Tanaka as Kanako’s Aunt Saiko!
Can't believe I had this movie on my harddrive for so long without checking it out...I'm going to have to sort through these folders more carefully- who knows what cool movie I'll discover next? This was a really entertaining one!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com
