This special kind of horror was often bloodless, mean-spirited and surprisingly effective. They were also not expensive, so it's easy to see how industries worldwide jumped on the format. Nowadays it's a staple and you need something special to stand out from the crowd. Writer and first-time director Sakai Zenzo gives it a shot by making his film Iai a drama about family care and dementia. It works, but does leave you wondering at the end what his message is exactly.
The plot thickens when Kana gets very vivid premonitions of people dying, and to her horror, those people actually meet with terrible accidents. But then, Kana discovers that the accidents follow a pattern: her mother made paper dolls of those people, and they are dying in the same order as the dolls got destroyed. And one of the next dolls in that line is a depiction of Kana's young nephew Yuta...
Dementia can be an absolute horror to see develop in someone you know, you don't actually need to add any supernatural shenanigans to up the ante. Sakai Zenzo takes time to show the domestic drama, the daily struggles of Kana, the harsh reality of caregiving. Does adding a Final Destination-style storyline to that improve the film or derail it? It's a bit of both unfortunately. While it adds excitement and a purpose by having our protagonists try to break a string of very evil curses, it leaves the relentless caregiving a bit gasping for air. And in a narrative which, to that point, did a good job humanizing all sides, it suddenly manages to dehumanize the patient.
Iai is one of those films that makes you wonder what you're supposed to take with you after having seen it. That's actually a win: with many horror films you wouldn't even be looking for a message. But Iai does make you think there is one. You're just left bewildered about what it is. It cannot be "kill all people with dementia before they do harm" I hope?
Iai had its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and is now travelling festivals worldwide.