Demons
Demons
Gengobe Satsuma, an exiled samurai cast out as an Asano clan retainer is given a second chance to join his brothers in arms to become the 48th Ronin against the Shogunate. His faithful servant gathers the 100 ryo required for his acceptance. Gengobe is also in love with a greedy geisha named Koman. About to be sold to another man, Gengobe learns that for him to keep her, her debt is exactly 100 ryo.
Mike reviewedOctober 11, 2024
Demons is a film that goes where not many would dare to go, and it does it with confidence.
"I wanted to drink to our future together. But in your present situation, that is no longer possible."
The sun going down at the beginning of the film is the only shot that is in color, everything else is in black & white. This sun is the last warm, bright and colorful thing you will see. Everything after this shot will be dark, gritty and cold. This shot shows us, right from the beginning, how dark this story will be. A story filled with death, hatred, vengeance, jealousy and selfishness.
When your film is made up of chapters by "victim numbers", you know the plot is dark. Usually, deaths in films aren't that impactful, but with Demons, they definitely are. The reason for this is the way the people are killed—not only is it brutal, it also looks and feels realistic. The fact that Gengobe does all of this out of pure hatred is another reason.
Shadows are an important element in this film. Not only do these shadows create an eerie atmosphere, because you start to wonder what is lurking in them, but they also create a visual contrast between the characters and the environment. We see characters moving in and out of the shadows, we see a contrast between the black background and the bright characters in the foreground, and we see bright faces being shaped by hard shadows—creating a very strong image that shows us that these characters are both surrounded and consumed by darkness.
The dream scenes are masterfully edited. These scenes are cut in such a way that they feel like how you remember your own dreams—sometimes the flow and pacing just don't make sense.
The sound design was also edited very well. The particular use of sound feels eerie. You recognize the sound, but it doesn't match what you see. An example of this is when the shot is in slow motion, but the audio is at normal speed—you understand what you hear and see, but it just doesn't feel right.
I'd rather not talk about the ending. Not only because it would spoil it, but also because it is one of the most gruesome things I have seen in film. The ending of Demons went where most would not dare to go... That is all I am going to say about it.
Letterboxd: Mike_v_E