JFF23: Immersion

Synopsis

Genius neuroscientist Tomohiko Kataoka (Daigo Nishihata) relocates to a secluded island to join ‘Shinsekai’, a research team studying the connections between virtual reality technology and neuroscience. However, things take a dark turn when the VR duplicate of the island created by the team flags an eerie glitch in the shape of a mysterious woman in red. When violent drowning deaths start to occur, the island’s deeply rooted shamanic superstitions seem to be the only key to uncovering a terrifying curse claiming lives from beneath the ocean surface.

Directed by Takashi Shimizu, the brain behind J-horror masterpieces such as Ju-On and Marebito, Immersion is an intriguing dive into the dichotomy between technology and tradition, a recurring theme in Japanese cinematic storytelling. Shimizu cleverly ventures into the uncharted waters of virtual reality horror and blends it with the Japanese leitmotif of the female vengeful spirit, while a macabre shamisen soundtrack marks the time until the next victim is consumed by grudgeful waves from a parallel dimension.