AEGRI SOMNIA - Interesting depiction of the disintegration of a spineless nebbish. Some of the scenes which take on an exploration of a kind of self-referrential paranoia are really well done and ooze a close-up pathology that seems almost unbearably intense at points. Elsewhere, this flips over into heavy handedness, and the evocation of a more otherwordly horror (infernal beings with mouthy faces) isn't quite so successful. Still, it made me think of Kafka in places, maybe Ligotti (a little), and is really well cinematographed - 'Eraserhead' was an obvious visual influence, although we don't sink as deeply here. But I certainly recommend fans of weird / surreal cinema to try it out, and I want to find out what the makers do next.
DARK WATER - I'm really glad I checked this one out again (inspired by Goji's review on these very pages). It's a superior Japanese ghost story which deals with neglect of others and of self. Stark and bleak, it crawls with a sense of dread that spreads like a stain. Building a really ominous atmosphere is no easy task, but it's one this film excells in. More than this, I have to say that sadness and sorrow are not emotions handled well by the horror (or any) genre, but the sense of poignancy here is sometimes overwhelming (particularly at the end). The constant presence of rain reminds us of the forgotten tears of a sad child. The hitherto boring substance 'water' reveals its utterly sinister side. This film warns us never to let go of ourselves or the ones around us.
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