Black Kiss (VCD) (Hong Kong Version) VCD

Black Kiss starts off with a seemingly unrelated opening sequence - a model/aspiring actress goes on a dinner date with her womanizing talent agent which leads to a tryst at the ominous Hotel Bat's. Upon returning to the room, the talent agent gets knocked out next to the bathtub (the third Hitchcock reference only 5 minutes into the film!), and, as the first of numerous mutilation sequences in the film, let's just say it's not pretty.

Then the real plot kicks in - Asuka (Hashimoto Reika) is a new model without a place, having just moved to Tokyo. Through a colleague, she ends up living right across from Hotel Bat's with temperamental and mysterious ex-model Kasumi (Kawamura Kaori), who often disappears after angry phone calls. During one of those disappearances, Asuka happens to witness the murder in the opening sequence from her apartment window (Hitchcock reference again!), not to mention the murderer. This sets off a chain of strange killings, random body parts, various ways to use human heads, red herrings, and some model drama to boot.

Tezka tries to incorporate many ideas and influences into Black Kiss. Besides the numerous Hitchcock references, there's also half-Japanese models, Haitian voodoo, heavy European influence, and most of all - coincidence. This theme of synchronicity (thus its original title) is heavily emphasized throughout, especially in the opening scenes. But when the mystery is all but solved, Tezka discards this theme and suddenly suggests otherwise. The idea of a cat-and-mouse serial killer film is that every murder is calculated, with the killer following a certain pattern that remains unknown until the mystery is complete. The inherent dilemma in Black Kiss is that every murder is calculated, but yet Tezka wants to make them seemingly coincidental, even though that takes away any type of satisfying conclusion to the mystery. The result is an interesting concept used on the wrong plot.

With so much crammed in, Black Kiss runs 133 minutes - a length that can't be avoided, given the numerous ideas. Again, the dilemma is that a genre film should not run at this epic length, and Tezka only manages to touch the surface of many of his ideas because there are so many of them. Perhaps Paradox would be a better title for the film.

With 20 years of experience making 8mm films, Tezka utilizes the relatively young HD format for Black Kiss. While it takes a while to get used to the sometimes low-budget clarity of the picture, Tezka and cinematographer Shirao Kazuhiro create a great look for the film, with the eerie yellow-green palate and the dimly lit streets of Tokyo adding much to the creep factor. Tezka also proves to be an intricate master of mise en scène; from the crime scenes to the dark apartments of his characters, the details all help to create an unsettling atmosphere. That, along with Tezka's hauntingly beautiful use of gore, help make the film's budget seem higher than what it probably is.

Despite the sometimes overambitious motifs, a conclusion that is a bit far-fetched, and the inherent dilemmas in its structure, Black Kiss remains an entertaining and atmospheric ride. In order to absorb yourself into the ride, you'll need to chuck out the expectation that the film will be all gore and pre-killing sex scenes like American slasher films. While the inventive killings do spice things up from time to time, they make up fairly little of the running time. What's left is actually something that resembles a plot, some experimental filmmaking (jump cuts is a major visual motif), and a very heavy dose of creepy atmosphere. In other words, approach Black Kiss like you would approach the streets of Kabuki-cho - with caution. It may be ugly, but you just may like it there.

by Kevin Ma