Nightmare Detective (Japanese Title: Yume Nara Samete) is a horror movie from Japan which is directed by Shinya Tsukamoto and released in 2006. This film is a mix of psychological thriller and supernatural horror genre including a set theme of ‘the dream and reality’.
Plot summary:
This film revolves around Kyoichi (Ryuhei Matsuda), a young man with strange powers; he has the ability to enter other people’s dreams. However, this power is more of a curse, as he tends to be pulled into the waking nightmares, and suffers trauma along with other negative feelings from his associates.
Kyoichi enlists as part of the investigation after a spate of mysterious suicides hits the scene and a lady called Natsumi (Hitomi Kuroki) approaches him. Natsumi is scared because of a disturbing dream that she has and which explains the various deaths. When Kyoichi started exploring Natsumi’s dreams even more, he discovers that there is dark force that uses human fears and aspirations to cause their death.
For this, Kyoichi does not only have to face the cause of the nightmares but also has to face himself. This film shows a surreal but terrifying world, with things going this way and that. The story combines sights of dreams and touches of horror, and loads of pressure which focuses on guilt, hopelessness and trauma and its aftereffects.
Themes:
The Nature of Fear: The film investigates how fear can affect dreams and how it can be acted upon in real life.
Psychological Trauma: The presence and torture of the characters by their past traumas form an integral part of the story and underlines the horror theme.
Reality vs. Dream: The scenes of the film contain the borderline between reality and dreams, raising the question for viewers whether something is true or something is live inside the characters’ minds.
Reception:
Nightmare Detective has a mixed response, although most critics praised its interesting idea and Shinya Tsukamoto’s original direction. The work is also characterized by disturbing images, an intense atmosphere, and complex ideas. He is however known for his daring films like Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and places these surreal yet audacious qualities into his film that is utterly disturbing.
Sequel:
Straight to the point, the success of the film requirement brought a next series called Nightmare Detective 2 (2008) where initiation of related idea is present but new characters and storyline are given. Also in the sequel, Ryuhei Matsuda will become more curiously for the leading role, and additional actors will join, thus continuing to explore the mysterious atmosphere created in the first part.
For those who appreciate psychological horror that is centered on dreams and the non conscious mind, then Nightmare Detective is one interesting film to watch due to its dreamlike pictures and disturbing stories.
