The sad and amazing story of Misaki. I watched Ghost System because it was directed by Toshikazu Nagae, who came to prominence eight years later when he directed the spin-off of Paranormal. The same film was his debut, and the debut is very promising.
I admit, from the very first minutes of watching, I was generous with praise. “Ghost System” is a category of films that I wouldn’t call horror in its purest form, because fear is inseparable from philosophy. There are also elements of science fiction - an amazing computer system that allows you to watch ghosts. But mainly the plot of the film is the sad story of a girl Misaki, who got lost not only in the woods, but also in her own guesses. The main advantage of the “Ghost System” is to allow viewers to think and comprehend the essence of what is happening. And there are really many options. Did Misaki and Wataru actually get to the base where the experiment was conducted, or was it Misaki’s dream? The mysterious woman who runs the system - is there no living person on the base besides her? In the episode, when Misaki is left alone in the detention center, fantasy paints pictures of a real apocalypse that takes place somewhere out there, outside the walls of the base and outside the forest. It stirs the imagination and heart of the system from which ghosts emerge. The desire to know what is on the other side of the portal is great. Finally, Mai's ghost is terrifying. Like other perfumes.
Considering that this is the debut film, it has a couple of flaws. Some of Misaki’s and Wataru’s dialogues sound banal, the visual and special effects are very primitive, and Mai, of course, does not compare with Kayako in “Curses”. And, nevertheless, it is worth praising the script, the camera work, and the successful selection of actors, of which there are only four: Chikako Sakuragi, Hiroshi Tamaki, Atsuko Rukawa and Maria Yanagisawa. There are no stars among them, but they tried, and the characters were able to open up.
In conclusion, the following remains to be said. The “ghost system” makes us wonder whether everything in this world is as unambiguous as it seems at first glance. In addition, the question of the possibility of continuing life after physical death is raised. And all this in the film, which came out before "Marebito" and Taiwan "Silk" - this is the most amazing thing. I’d love to see a sequel to Ghost System, but it’s not. It is sad that such an interesting film is now less and less paid attention.
10 out of 10