The Mystery of Rampo

A dreamlike, unsettling descent where a writer's obsessions bleed into reality, demanding patience but rewarding with strange, sensual imagery.

Directed by

Kazuyoshi Okuyama

Genres

Drama, Thriller, Romance

Starring

Masahiro Motoki, Naoto Takenaka, Michiko Hada

Tagline

So provocative the censors banned it. So powerful it came true.

Overview

Edogawa Rampo is a writer whose latest work is censored by the government, deemed too disturbing and injurious to the public to be allowed to be published. However, after burning his drafts, his publisher shows him a newspaper with an account of events just like his forbidden story. As the film progresses, fantasy and reality intermingle in a tale that draws heavily on influences from Poe and Stoker's Dracula. The film's strongly Expressionistic direction skillfully combines a variety of media (animation, computer-generated imagery, grainy black-and-white fast film stock, color negatives) for artistic effect.

How it feels

Eerie, dark, melancholic and tense. Slow-burning and demanding.

About

Obsession, identity, madness, death

Content

Strong sexual content. Mild violence, gore and language.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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