Yogen (Premonition in its English translation) is a horror film brought to us by Director Norio Tsuruta. It goes without saying, that the Japanese have recently taken a huge foothold in creating horror movies that are actually character driven, and have mass appeal. The unfortunate facet of that, is that it then has to re-done in an "Americanized" version that often suffers from a watered down story that never quite lives up to the original. Yogen will probably be the next one redone in the U.S., and simply put, it has great source material with which to work. While trying to decide what to watch alone one night, I came across this title and decided that it looked interesting enough to give a try. With my blockbuster pass, I knew I could just bring it back and exchange it for something else if I was not satisfied. But, I am very glad I gave it the chance in the first place.

Yogen stars Hiroshi Mikami as the husband of Ayaka Satomi (played by Noriko Sakai), and father to daughter Nana. Not being enveloped by Japanese film, the only movie I knew either of them from was Ju-on: The Grudge 2 which had Sakai in it. I think though, that it may have been good that I didn't know the actors, because it helped me to see the main characters as more true to life that way. On the return from a day trip, the Satomi family is involved in a tragic event involving their daughter Nana. The twist comes when Hiroshi finds a newspaper clipping denoting that his daughter has been in an accident. The only thing wrong with it, is that it is dated 5 minutes into the future from where the movie is taking place. This not only leads to shock from Hiroshi, but a paralization that leads him to not act in order to save his daughter. When tragedy does strike, the newspaper suddenly vanishes, and Hiroshi is left with what would appear an insane story to everyone around him.

The movie unfolds 3 years later, as Hiroshi and Ayaka try to rebuild their lives after losing a child. Hiroshi is a professor that works full time at a college, while Hiroshi is a researcher. They both put themselves into their jobs, and try to cope with the tragedy that is fallen upon them. I really liked how the Director and writers dealt with the lose of such an important part of their lives. It was well-developed, and the story brings out the emotions in the audience to the point that you are feeling what the characters feel. Both uncover a history for the phantom newspaper, and discover that is has been written about, and is denoted as "The Newspaper of Terror." Pretty cheesy name, I know, but it doesn't focus on why it is called that, simply on the emotions associated with the word "terror." Needless to say, the newspaper eventually reappears, and Hiroshi is put on the spot once again.

The story is contrived on the basis that we as humans are encompassed by the choices we make. We decide whether to do right or wrong, we decide what we will do with our days, and we decide how we will spend our lives. The results and consequences of those choices are what make each of us different, and proves just how unique each person is. Hiroshi is faced with the choice of what to do with the premonitions that he is given. Should he change the future and save the people he sees will come to harm? Should he just let it play out like the newspaper claims it will? Or should he try to find a third option, one that could mean losing his very soul? All are questions that he must answer if he is going to figure out what the premonitions mean, and whether or not he can do anything about them.

Yogen has all of the makings of a top notch horror/thriller. There is a lot of character development that slows down parts of the film, but I feel it is really needed, and helps to make the film that much better at its end. Dialogue is only used when absolutely necessary, and the imagery and thoughts that are associated with key moments of the film are what make it truly scary to the average viewer. The only down-side of the film that I could find was that the viewer has to be reading the Japanese newspapers that are in a lot of scenes. Often, the sub-titles weren't able to keep up with what the character was seeing, but I thought it made it more intense for me personally. Not knowing right away what he was seeing helped me to gauge what the character was thinking before I even read it. The plot left some open threads, but I really like that in horror movies, because it leaves a lot to the imagination and interpretation of each viewer. I found Yogen to be a great film, and one that I highly recommend giving a chance.





Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD