Blu-ray Film Reviews | Horror

Takashi Ishii: 4 Tales of Nami (1992–94) • Limited Edition Blu-rays [Third Window] — stylishly confrontational thrillers for the emotionally robust

A collection of four films from Japanese director Takashi Ishii.

Third Window Films continue their mission to disseminate important though underseen Japanese cinema with an excellent introduction to the works of Takashi Ishii. This box set showcases four concurrent early films key to the development of an auteur known mainly for contentious content. While poetically nuanced with rare moments of perfect beauty, they are unapologetically confrontational and transgressive with plenty of potential triggers. Although shot on shoestring budgets, each film drips with stylistic confidence while dealing with difficult subjects relating to psychological, physical, and sexual trauma. Unavoidably, the following reviews contain a discussion of such themes. So, if that bothers you, consider this fair warning and perhaps turn back now. Anyone with an interest in Japanese manga and live-action film adaptations that push the…