BOOTH

Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura
Stars: Ryuta Sato, Maiko Asano, Makoto Ashikawa, Mansaku Ikeuchi
Year: 2005
Rating: N/R
(in Japanese w/English subtitles)

This short (just 74 minutes), sinister little film is billed and marketed like a horror film, when in reality it's more of a suspense thriller with some supernatural elements thrown in. Set almost entirely in an old DJ's booth at a Japanese radio station - one that's gone unused for thirty years, and is said to be haunted - Booth is the tale of radio DJ Shogo (Ryuta Sato), who works the midnight shift with his late-night call-in show centering on the pitfalls of love and relationships.

This particular night is Shogo's first in booth 6, an old booth at his radio station that's gone unused for decades - and, as the short intro to the film shows us, was the site of a DJ's suicide some thirty years ago; a DJ haunted by a spirit that drove him to do it. The radio station is moving, you see, and Shogo's relegated to this basement area because all the other equipment is already packed up and ready to go.

But right away, as the loud, brash and very vain Shogo begins his broadcast, strange things begin to occur. The subject for tonight's show is "unpardonable words" - things past or current lovers have said to you that were particularly cutting - and as the calls progress, Shogo finds that the tale each person phoning in reminds him of a similar case in his own background. Also, in the first few calls, in the tiny and cramped booth Shogo suddenly hears mechanical squealing coming over the air, along with a woman's voice calling repeatedly calling him a liar.

It's all unnerving, but Shogo blows it all off as a joke or technical glitch, at first; that is, until each call brings back a new and painful memory - and reveals more to the viewer of Shogo's past, along with a few secrets hidden within it. As almost the entire film (except for some flashbacks, via Shogo's past) takes place within the confines of the DJ booth, the film gets that much more claustrophobic as the calls get more creepy - and soon Shogo is not only unnerved but downright terrified, as he feels someone (or something) is getting closer and closer to seeking their revenge.

It seems that everyone who sees this film, from what I've seen, either really likes or really loathes it. Me, I fit into the former category, as for me I was along for the ride the entire way, the eerie setting and circumstances growing more sinister and threatening as the film goes on. Ryuta Sato, as Shogo, does an outstanding job of coming apart at the seams one layer at a time; certainly by the film's end his cockiness and self-absorbed personality are gone completely, as he's become a man terrified that the ghosts of his past are coming back to get him. There are even a few surprises along the way, one of which may have you scratching your head at first - but stick with the film, and if you're watching you'll understand just what's going on (sorry, but I've almost given away too much, already).

It's no secret that I love Asian horror films, partly for the way they screw with your mind and know how to induce real psychological fear without assaulting the senses with blood and gore. I wouldn't even classify Booth as a horror film, as said earlier, but don't be surprised if it still gets a bit under your skin, or still leaves you thinking about the film long after the end credits roll. (NOTE: I always try to find posters for foreign films that are in that country's original language - but could not with this one. If anyone reading this finds a scan of the original Japanese poster for this film, please hit me up? Thanks!) **** - Reel Awesome