It Comes (2018)

It Comes or Coming (来る) is a film based on the novel by Ichi Sawamura and directed by Nakashima Tetsuya (Conffesions, The World of Kanako, Kamikaze Girls). The story focuses on the series of unexplained events and how they affect the life of the seemingly perfect family and other people involved.

For viewers who are not familiar with Nakashima's directing style, this movie may seem too eerie or overwhelming. To be honest if I wasn't familiar with Nakashima's previous works, I would probably react to Coming differently.
I will say that Nakashima's movies, in some respects, remind me of works by Sono Sion. Both directors have their very specific, original style, some of their movies can be more commercially successful, 'more digestible' for general audiance, while others are just crazy adaptations of director's artistic vision.

That being said, Coming is not everyone's cup of tea.

Throughout the movie, the story is told from different characters' points of view.
Because of narration shifts and unusual structure of the story, for some people this movie may seem too chaotic. However, in my opinion this way of telling the story adds to the complexity of characters and gives each of the actors their time to shine.
The director assembled magnificent cast and the acting is definitely a very strong part of this movie. I especially need to mention Kuroki Haru – when given a chance, she delivers stellar performance.

Nakashima once again does a great job blending different genres. This movie contains not only classic japanese horror elements but also family drama and social commentary. Nakashima is not afraid to expose problems of today's society and dark side of human nature.
Even though, in my opinion, The World of Kanako was heavier, the story portrayed in Coming can also get quite dark and twisted. The movie contains some bloody, gory scenes but because of grotesque and almost kitsch and elements, in some parts, it may seem like a parody of the horror genre.

I'm also a big fan of Nakashima's artistic style when it comes to the visuals.
One of the recurring motifs in his films is the use of flashbacks often combined with surreal visions. This practice finds perfect use in this movie as it fits really well into horror genre.
Thanks to the creative use of reflections, vibrant colors, great lighting, changing camera angles, the director is able to create some stunning shots. I was very impressed by the elaborative, artistic performance which became colorful gore madness in the final act.

Music in this movie may not stand out very much but is well used and complements what is being seen on the screen. The sound design is very good, some audio effects can send chill down the spine.

To sum up, this film's originality, plot twists and beautiful cinematography made me enjoy Coming from beginning to end.
Would I recommend this movie? Definitely yes, but you should prepare yourself for one crazy ride.

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i never thought id put horror and epic in the same sentence. i love how the event snowballed to be such a huge battle. now thats another word id never put together with horror (movie) in the same sentence, id usually just say fight.

each characters also get their own stage of spotlight. its like the main character keeps changing throughout the story.

this movie also managed to give an urban/ modern touch to an otherwise occult movie and they did it seamlessly. it also show you dont really need an overly dark visual to give movie an eerie vibe.

although some details were left unexplained, at least the give us just enough cue to what might be the case.

overall this is the first horror/ghost movie of whick i could enjoy the story as a whole.

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