Woman of the Photographs (2020) Review

I do love J-Horror, so when Woman of the Photographs appeared on the list for Frightfest.  I was excited.  The film had attracted critical acclaim following it’s appearance at Fantasia.  Woman of the Photographs is a debut from writer/director Takeshi Kushida and it’s an exploration of our obsession with social media.

I will say from the outset that I would not categorise this film as Horror.  At All.

Kai (Hideki Nagai) spends his days retouching photographs for his customers apparently so amused by the drastic changes requested for dating profiles he keeps the original images in a box.  Kai enjoys a simple life. He wears the same clothes, visits the same wash house every evening and shares his pizza for one with a praying mantis.

On a trip out in the woodlands, Kai comes across social media influencer Kyoko (Itsuki Otaki) who he finds hanging out of a tree after falling when trying to take the perfect selfie.  Noticing she has a large visible cuts across her chest and cheek, he tries to help by driving her home.   Kai uses his skills to edit out her injury in pictures so Kyoko can present herself as perfect to the world. 

Kyoko, like so many young people, values her self-worth on the amount of likes she gets on social media.  A former prima ballerina, Kyoko has apparently become a lifestyle influencer on Instagram.   Kyoko is very much the bold modern woman and takes the lead in their budding relationship.   She drives a reluctant Kai to dinner to thank him for his help, and after asking to stay  makes herself useful in the studio and his home.  

Kai is less the misogynist described in the logline, and more convincingly terrified of Kyoko and his developing feelings. It is revealed that he has never had a girlfriend.  That much is obvious to the point of comedy.  Kai spends the majority of the film being unable to speak to Kyoko and when there is a sex scene it is fast and awkward.  Kai’s fear of being consumed by his feelings is portrayed by the deliberate use of sound.  Specifically, the sound of the praying mantis eating is amplified to the extent it triggered my Misophonia and had me squirming in my seat.  

The film does provide an interesting commentary on our obsession with our image social media and there is a powerful piece of dialogue between Kyoko and a young woman who comes to the studio to have her photos retouched.

“I believe myself reflecting in the eyes of others is my true self […] because we love ourselves through others eyes”

The sentiment expressed in those lines will haunt me, especially as it beautifully summarises this generations obsession with obtaining likes and followers on social media.

The Woman of the Photographs deftly shows the dark side of being an influencer.  When Kyoko meets Kai she is apparently homeless and has no medical insurance despite the luxurious photographs she uploads to her feed.  Her followers are dropping and brands are pulling their partnership deals.  A fateful conversation leads to Kyoko uploading a photo of herself complete with the wounds on her chest and face.  Suddenly she receives thousands of likes and comments.  It is here where The Woman of the Photographs takes a darker turn, as Kyoko picks at her scabs to ensure they are fresh for new photos.  Whilst those scenes may make you wince, it stops short of being a body horror, which was disappointing.  

Whilst the characters are an apparent contrast to each other, I am not convinced that they  develop in a meaningful way.  Kai apparently loses his fear of speaking to Kyoko, and she gets the medical help she so desperately needs.  However, this there overall character arcs are lacking, as is the plotline which does not culminate in a way that would be appealing to the horror audience.   Whilst there are comedic elements, it falls short of being able to call itself a comedy-horror.

This film is an unusual watch, and a disappointing one at that.

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