The residents of a small island community are slowly becoming obsessed with spirals. Young schoolgirl Kirie first notices this strange behavior when she comes across the father of her solemn boyfriend Shuichi videotaping a snail, lost in a reverie. Soon, other people begin to manifest the same strange obsession. A boy leaps to his death from a spiral staircase with a smile on his face. Shuichi's increasingly weird dad starts a spiral collection and throws a fit when they run out of spiral fishcakes for dinner. When he commits suicide by spinning himself to death in a washing machine, the investigation begins.
Don't waste your time trying to fathom the mystery behind Uzumaki, just enjoy it. Or, if you must, take the few vague clues that the movie provides and come up with your own theory behind the spiral madness. References are made to an ancient cult of serpent worshippers who spent a lot of time at Dragonfly Pond. Spiraling stormclouds are seen to touch down at said pond, where a beast-god may once have lived. Offerings of ancient mirrors are unearthed from the bottom of the pond...but none of these facts are ever tied together and handed to you with the words "Reasonable Explanation" printed on the wrapping paper. It doesn't really matter anyway. As the spirals consume the cursed island, the amazing visuals rule the film: bodies twisted into tight circles, hair coiled into gravity defying spirals, eyes spinning like whirlpools, people transformed into snails. It's as though Lovecraft penned a slightly disgusting comedy, and the film feels very much like the manga comic on which it was based - colorful, exaggerated and silly, but also sick and disturbing as well.
This is a beautifully shot and well acted film with some stunning effects. If you're not the type to concern yourself with sensible details and neat story lines, you may just enjoy the sheer weirdness of Uzumaki. It's a comic book come to life. Seven out of ten stars.
Don't waste your time trying to fathom the mystery behind Uzumaki, just enjoy it. Or, if you must, take the few vague clues that the movie provides and come up with your own theory behind the spiral madness. References are made to an ancient cult of serpent worshippers who spent a lot of time at Dragonfly Pond. Spiraling stormclouds are seen to touch down at said pond, where a beast-god may once have lived. Offerings of ancient mirrors are unearthed from the bottom of the pond...but none of these facts are ever tied together and handed to you with the words "Reasonable Explanation" printed on the wrapping paper. It doesn't really matter anyway. As the spirals consume the cursed island, the amazing visuals rule the film: bodies twisted into tight circles, hair coiled into gravity defying spirals, eyes spinning like whirlpools, people transformed into snails. It's as though Lovecraft penned a slightly disgusting comedy, and the film feels very much like the manga comic on which it was based - colorful, exaggerated and silly, but also sick and disturbing as well.
This is a beautifully shot and well acted film with some stunning effects. If you're not the type to concern yourself with sensible details and neat story lines, you may just enjoy the sheer weirdness of Uzumaki. It's a comic book come to life. Seven out of ten stars.