I went to watch Kodomo tsukai / Little Nightmares / Innocent Curse in Brussels on Wednesday, April 12th, at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF).
I'll share my thoughts, a detailed summary (over 2000 words) and some pictures behind cuts. :)
-SPOILER!!!-
My thoughts
Well, I don't know much about horror movies and I don't know the difference between Japanese and Western horror movies, so I can't compare this. I read that it was more like a Western horror movie.
Actually I wasn't scared so much... what might be because the audience gave comments or made noises very often? (I just thought: Be quiet, I have to hear Daiki's voice!!!! XD) (But since "everyone" was noisy I decided to take out the paper I have and write notes while watching. I hadn't planned to.)
The movie was good. I didn't expect it to be good haha
The relationship between the kids and their parents was pictured well and also the love story between the two protagonists was sweet. Not cheesy but very down to earth.
The kids were cute, especially Ren :)
I also liked Naomi who had to fight with her own past a lot. And of course Shunya. He was brave and so good looking.
The concept of Tommy was good as well and Takki!Tommy looked very interesting too. It reminded me a little of the mad hutter in Alice. (I hope that I don't get killed for that comparison. I wrote "a little!" ok?)
I loved the scene with Shunya, Ren and Naomi where they played parent-child. Especially the omurice scene and the scene where they slept next to each other, like a family. SO CUTE!
And then at the end where Shunya was fighting. He was all injured but didn't shy away. SO COOL!
Ok, so I suddenly decided to take notes while watching but I didn't have much paper with me, just the printed out e-ticket and such. And I wrote stuff all over the place and of course I didn't look at what I wrote. So if there are things I have mixed up, I'm sorry. Also it's very simple English I guess because I'm lazy to write it all over again. (I wrote this after the movie when I was back in the hostel, after 1am XD;;)
Summary
The movie starts with a girl called Runa. She's abused by her mom. The girl disappears and her mom is looking for her everywhere. In the end she can find her. Runa is singing a strange song. Some days later the mother is dead.
Naomi is at her nursery school. Ren came to school by himself. Naomi sees some injuries on his arm and freaks out.
Shunya and his boss are listening to the story of some school girls. They talk about Runa. One girl is especially emotionally involved in it. The girls talk about Tommy's curse. It's a rumour that parents die after three days.
Shunya's boss doesn't believe this but Shunya is interested. The boss scolds him and Shunya is frustrated. Then he meets the girls again and that one girl stops to talk to him more.
The girl lived next to Runa and three days after Runa had disappeared she heard strange screaming next door. She went to the balcony and saw Runa, was scared. Then she found Runa's mom, dead. Runa was singing a song.
That's how the rumour of Tommy's appearance after three days started.
They stop talking and Shunya sees a balloon flying and catches it (they are in a mall). He gives the balloon to the child who lost it and then sees a clown holding more balloons. This clown is a childhood friend of Shunya, Kondo.
Shunya and Kondo talk. Kondo has a son called Yuki, it's his 4th birthday very soon. Shunya tells Kondo that Naomi is keeping the secret that she's pregnant from him but he knows. He's a little frustrated about the situation.
Shunya wants to leave when a girl appears. Kondo is alarmed but doesn't say anything. Shunya hears her singing a song and immediately records the song.
Ren is still in the nursery school, his mother doesn't pick him up. He looks at a book.
Shunya transcripts the song.
Naomi brings Ren to his home. When she goes upstairs she sees a vision/flashback. A girl is screaming for help.
Naomi tries to open the door to Ren's home. She hears a noise but the door doesn't open.
Naomi and Ren sit down on a bench. Naomi gives Ren a lucky charm (omamori). He uses it as a necklace. Then Naomi promises that she'll be his mom until his real mom comes back.
Naomi brings Ren to her and Shunya's home. Shunya is a little angry at first because he thinks she should call the police instead.
Then Naomi introduces Shunya to Ren as a "friend". Shunya is a little sad/angry about it ("only a friend?").
Shunya says hi to Ren but Ren doesn't reply.
They realize that they're hungry and then Shunya and Ren start to make Omurice, finally getting along with each other. All three eat omurice together, with cute drawing on the omurice. Later Shunya and Ren are playing together and they lie down for sleeping on the floor/futon, Ren between Naomi and Shunya. Now they're all in a good mood together.
Shunya and Naomi start talking about their families after Ren is asleep. Then Naomi goes into the bathroom. She wonders what it means to become a mother.
Flashback to her childhood.
On the next day Naomi gets scolded for taking Ren home by her senior, Yokosensei.
The kids are playing outside and suddenly Ren calls Naomi “mama”. The other kids get a little jealous.
Naomi and Ren see a person nearby and walk to him. (Tommy) But the man suddenly disappears again. Only they could see him.
Police (or so? I’m not sure who these people were) come to the nursery school and ask about Ren's mother. Naomi tells what had happened. The police say that the mother is dead.
Shunya visits Runa at her nursery school. He records the song that she is singing.
Shunya visits his friend again. Kondo tells him about the girl, Nozomi. She had done shoplifting and he scolded her for it. After scolding she suddenly disappeared before his eyes.
Later a girl wanted to buy the bracelet that Nozomi had taken (the same? Or just a similar one? Not sure). Kondo freaked out and looked for Nozomi. He heard the song, saw Nozomi and also many other kids. The others couldn't see anything.
When Shunya plays the recorded song, Kondo freaks out. Shunya is suddenly locked in the room (storage room or so?) and Kondo is outside (in his shop). He can see how Kondo fights (?) against something. What Shunya can't see is that Tommy appears and plays on his flute.
When the door is not locked anymore and Shunya gets out, Kondo is gone and only his bag is left. Shunya takes the bag.
Kondo is at home. His son waited for him so that they could celebrate his birthday. They both play but then the son helps his mom and they carry the cake to the table. They put off the light because the cake has candles and start singing happy birthday. At this time the kids and Tommy appear around Kondo. When his wife puts on the light again they see that Kondo is dead.
Shunya calls Kondo's home and learns that Kondo died.
Ren is still at the nursery school. He is supposed to go with some people to a shelter (?) but he doesn't want to go there. He wants to stay with mama-Naomi. Naomi had promised it after all! But Naomi says that she's not his mom and pushes him away. Ren falls down, he's angry/sad and the people take him. Naomi is a little scared at what she just did.
Shunya looked at the content of Kondo’s bag. A birthday present and a video camera. He sees a video that Kondo took of Nozomi. Kondo didn't only scold her, he told her "take off your clothes". At that moment Shunya puts off the camera immediately.
Naomi is at home. She hears the song that Shunya recorded and suddenly sings along. She doesn't know why she knows the song.
Ren is in the car with the people. Tommy appears inside the car and talks with him. Ren says that he doesn't need a mom anymore.
Shunya and Naomi write down the song, then Shunya searches about it on the internet and finds out about some old circus that got burned. Shunya says that he'll go to Ise (where the circus was).
Shunya tells Naomi that Kondo had died, that's why Shunya wants to find out about the case.
Ren appears at their home. Naomi wants to touch him but Shunya stops her. The phone rings and the people say that Ren disappeared from the car. Shunya says he is with them.
Ren gives the lucky charm back to Naomi.
Shunya and Naomi bring Ren to Yokosensei from the nursery school.
Then Shunya is driving. He tells Naomi she has three days now. Because of the curse.
They ask some people and end up meeting Katsuo Kamingo. He is an old man. He tells them about the circus and about Tommy. He sang a song to get customers/he sang it to the children.
It was 60 years ago that the circus was on fire.
Shunya and Naomi go to an old house where the people from the circus had lived.
They find old newspapers and pictures. Maybe there was Tommy on there? But Naomi doesn't recognize him. Shunya takes everything with him.
Naomi wants to get something out of a drawer but a hand appears and she can't get it. Shunya gets it instead. It's an envelope with a picture, Tommy the doll.
They hear a noise and Shunya goes to look for it, tells Naomi to stay there.
Some wagon that plays music (music box) moves towards Shunya and stops. Shunya plays the music. Tommy appears where Naomi is. There are black cats. The cats become his boots (?) and other things.
Tommy welcomes Naomi to his home but is upset that they didn't knock. He's also upset that Naomi forgot about him.
The kids appear. Tommy wants the kids to play with her. He takes a cat's tail and it becomes a flute.
Shunya comes but he can't see the kids nor Tommy. Naomi and Shunya are running upstairs but then they are trapped.
Tommy tells Naomi that noone needs her, that she should disappear. In the last moment Naomi and Shunya get rescued by Katsuo who opened the door from outside.
Katsuo now talks more about Tommy. He was a foreigner. When suddenly kids disappeared the people from the village said that it was Tommy. Tommy was angry. Then there was a fire where Tommy and the kids died. Apparently, Tommy tried to rescue the kids.
After that Katsuo's father became strange. Katsuo found parts of the doll of Tommy in their home although it had burned in the fire.
People who came near to the doll died so Katsuo throw away the doll.
Shunya and Naomi leave and in the car Naomi dreams (?).
(flashback/dream)
Naomi is a child. She's not wanted by her mom. Tommy appears and shows her “his world”. The circus. He heals the wounds that Naomi's mom did to her. He uses the cat tail again. This time he listens to Naomi's heart by it. Then he makes Naomi listen to it as well. Her true thinking: she wants her mother dead.
Tommy promises her and they use their pinkie/little finger to make the promise. Then Tommy gives her a finger. Naomi takes it and back in the “real world” she puts it into her mother's handbag. This would be the signal for her to die. On that day, the mother says that maybe they will go and watch a movie on the next Sunday. Naomi is alarmed because suddenly her mom is friendly and she doesn't want her to die anymore?
Naomi wakes up. She looks into the omamori and finds the finger. Ren gave it to her.
She goes to Shunya. Shunya is angry that Naomi wants to try to solve things alone, doesn't talk to him. Like with her pregnancy. He's frustrated. Is he not reliable?
Then Naomi tells him about everything and shows him the finger. He suddenly remembers how Kondo looked at something in a box, something like a doll. Maybe that was Tommy?
They go back to the mall. When they enter, they have to write down the names. Shunya already enters so Naomi writes the name. The man in there wears the same gloves as Tommy.
In the mall. Naomi sees Tommy and the kids but Shunya can't see them. They throw Shunya down the escalator. The kids take Naomi.
Naomi is in Tommy's world/the circus. It's dark. Naomi searches for Ren. She sees how foreigner-Tommy talks to the kids, in English. He makes something strange with the kids and suddenly the doll starts talking. It looks like the doll needs the soul?energy? of the kids because some kids are unconscious. Angry people come (because their kids had disappeared). Tommy puts the place on fire. The doll calls him "dad" and is angry at him. Naomi rescues one boy and herself from the fire. The boy was small-Katsuo.
Tommy wasn't a friend of the children, he used them. Tommy was a cruel person but the doll had loved him. It was very upset. The doll became the Tommy from the curse.
now-Tommy then talks to Naomi. He says that they're friends now. But Naomi wants Ren back.
Shunya gets up and looks for the doll. He can't find it at first and looks in the whole shop.
Naomi sees her own childhood, how she was there and her mother dead. She's frustrated because she hadn't wanted that. Kids also appear there.
Shunya finally finds Tommy the doll and Tommy talks to him.
Naomi sees many adults, the adults that had died because of the curse. Tommy explains they are toys for the kids now. Soon Naomi will be one of them too. It is time for Ren to say goodbye to her.
Naomi apologizes to Ren for lying to him/breaking her promise. She says that she can't be his mom.
Ren takes the finger and puts it back to Tommy's hand. Suddenly the kids are “normal” again and old-Katsuo appears. The curse is broken? Katsuo says that he wants to be with the kids, becomes a child again.
Naomi and Ren run away.
In the mall doll-Tommy tries to kill Shunya, strangle him with the cat's tail (?). Then the doll becomes Tommy and Shunya sees him for the first time. Naomi and Ren also appear, in his cloak. Shunya fights against Tommy and in the end Ren pushes Tommy so that he falls down. Ren takes the pinkie away and Tommy becomes a doll again.
End.
Naomi is further pregnant now, with a big belly. They are moving. Shunya shuns away the doll.
Yoko and Ren are there too.
Ren wanders off and then he lays down the finger in front of a door and walks away. Short after that a boy that looks abused opens the door and takes it.
End.
pictures from the trailer and the official twitter
This is Runa with her mom.
Naomi and Shunya's living room.
Shunya's desk.
Ren.
Yokosensei.
Kondo.
Kondo's shop.
Kids in the shop.
Shunya looking at Kondo's video.
Naomi.
I think that is Naomi and her mom.
Small-Naomi, Naomi's mom and Naomi (her back).
A part of the old house.
The room in the old house, with the drawer.
The black cats.
Tommy in that room in the old house.
Tommy, the gloves.
Kids in the old house.
Kids in the mall.
Shunya in the mall.