Customer Reviews

Zero Focus

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a pretty good movie--filmed in a style similar to "Under the Flag of the Rising Sun"
Newlyweds- Teiko and Kenichi--are married for a week when Kenichi disappears without a trace-and we are shown Teiko's attempts to discover what happened and how.
She finds that her husband was an ex-policeman involved with prostitutes-is there a connection to this and his disappearance?
Soon her brother-in-law is poisoned--and another young woman commits suicide--apparently, after the suicide of her common law husband. Through a maze of false leads and disinformation-Teiko finally discovers what happened to her husband and how!
A very good mystery--my only complaint being that some of the transitions between scenes are a little too abrupt. All in all---a very good movie--well worth watching! Yoshiko Kuga does an excellent job as the abandoned wife!
Black & White--with sub-titles!

Nicely acted, beautifully shot, intense drama. Brilliantly brings to life Seicho Matsumoto's story in true Hitchcockian style. Never a false step.

This is not a "dim copy" of anything. The movie might be in black and white, but its psychological analysis is expertly done with many shades of grey. One of the best winter movies ever. The snow sits on top of the buildings in this movie almost as heavy as the moral burdens oppressing its characters. Much more memorable - in terms of shots - than any Hitchcock movie. Don't miss it.

Matsumoto Seicho is not simple detective story author. He is archaeologist, art history expert, anthropologist, above all his story has always allegoric meaning. In this story Zero Focus, main event happen between Tokyo and Hokuriku district especially at Noto peninsula. Toyama bay of Noto Peninsula is very well known as Mirage. The title of this story, one of the word "Focus" represents "Light", because Light is always connected such as camera equipment. Eventually "Zero Focus"'s allegoric meaning is obviously "missing person". Based on this idea of Seicho, I myself wrote a book "The Light Theater opened to Universe" . The relation between painter Vermeer and Noto Peninsula. As you know, Vermeer is called as "Light Magician". My book is as below, a lot of picture and figure included. But it is Japanese book. However I can help you to send you english summary and advice of e-mail from me. [...]
my e-mail: kazuoueno1@aol.com

They got the look right. In fact, it's a explicit lift of the the film noir of the 40's and 50's. But there's no mystery here, just a string of events to lull the viewer to sleep, capped by a jumbled explanation of mundane events.

Not unlike Nomura's THE CASTLE OF SAND. Take two to sleep.