Update on Katsuya Matsumura's KIREI? THE TERROR OF BEAUTY (KI-RE-I?), w/ Yukiko Okamoto, Asuka Kuros

The case art for the U.S. DVD release of Katsuya Matsumura's Kirei? - The Terror of Beauty (Ki-re-i?) has been made public (see here for a much larger JPEG than the one on the left). As was previously reported here on ScreenAnarchy, this Media Blasters release is scheduled for November 15th.

The screenplay for Kirei? - The Terror of Beauty was written by Matsumura and Rusher Ikeda (Rasshâ Ikeda), based on Kei Yuikawa's "Kirei" from her short story collection Memai. (Yuikawa also wrote the eponymous story on which Suzuki Matsuo's "Yoru no shitasaki", in the omnibus movie Female (Fîmeiru), was based.) The movie's principal cast is as follows: Yukiko Okamoto (she's also in Hisayasu Satô's "Imomushi" in the omnibus horror movie Ranpo jigoku, and was in Takahisa Zeze's Secret Journey (Yuda) - one of the four movies in Euro Space's Eros Bancho Series (Erosu banchô shirîzu)), Asuka Kurosawa (she's also in Takahisa Zeze's Mrs., and was in Yôichirô Hayama's Dead Waves (Shiryôha)), Kôta Kusano, Miki Asakura, Mami Nakamura, and Fumina Hara (she was in Osamu Fukutani's The Last Supper (Saigo no bansan)).

Here's a synopsis for Kirei? - The Terror of Beauty from the page for the movie on the website of Facets Multi-Media Inc.: "An emotionally fragile young woman pleads with a talented plastic surgeon (Yukiko Okamoto) to make her beautiful in this surreal Japanese psychodrama from Katsuya Matsumura. Though the surgery is a success, the haunted young woman grows even more obsessed with the possibility of beauty, and draws the surgeon into her terrifying world of psychological torment and masochistic pain."

Kirei? - The Terror of Beauty premièred at the Shibuya Ciné la sept in Tokyo on August 21st of last year, and - as was previously reported here on ScreenAnarchy - was released on VHS and DVD in Japan by GP Museum Soft K.K. (K.K. GP Myûjiamu Sofuto) on March 25th of this year.

Matsumura previously directed the All Night Long (Ôru naito rongu) pentalogy: All Night Long (Ôru naito rongu), All Night Long 2 (Ôru naito rongu 2), All Night Long 3: The Final Chapter (Ôru naito rongu 3: saishûshô), All Night Long R (Ôru naito rongu R) [first movie listed], and All Night Long: Initial O (Ôru naito rongu: inisharu O). He also directed Concrete-Encased High School Girl Murder Case (Joshikôsei konkurîto-zume satsujin-jiken) [viewer discretion is advised] - a controversial movie from 1995 that was based on the same real-life murder case as Hiromu Nakamura's 2004 movie Concrete (Konkurîto).

Those interested in Kirei? - The Terror of Beauty may also wish to read the ScreenAnarchy articles on Yûji Tajiri's Harami: shiroi kyôfu, Takaaki Hashiguchi's Kuchisake, Tamakichi 'Anal' Anaru's Tumbling Doll of Flesh (Niku daruma), and Fuji Kikaku's six Onna harakiri sakuhinshû DVDs - the third one of which includes Masami 'Merzbow' Akita's Lost Paradise ('Shitsurakuen': jôbafuku onna harakiri).