Nakamura Hiromu's controversial and unsettling 2004 film "Concrete" is a difficult film to watch especially given the fact that it was based on a real life grisly murder case, one of the most infamous and horrific cases of abduction and murder in the annals of Japanese crime, a case sensationalized in the press as the "Concrete-Encased High School Girl Murder". Based on Atsumi Joji's book on the case "Jyunana Sai, Aku No Rirekishou" (Age 17, Chronicle of Evil), the movie dramatizes the murder of 17-year-old Junko Furuta, a pretty high school student who in late November 1988 while returning home from her part-time job, was abducted by four juvenile delinquents in Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo and imprisoned in a house in the district of Adachi where she was subjected to 44 days of relentless sadistic torture. Sadomised, repeatedly sexually and physically assaulted, mutilated and eventually murdered in cold blood, her body was shamelessly discarded in a steel drum can which was then filled with concrete and then abandoned in an empty tract of land in Koto, Tokyo. While the four assailants were caught, tried and eventually convicted of her murder, due to their juvenile status, the prison terms given were ridiculously light and the four have since subsequently served out their sentences and released back into society.
The Junko Furuta case sparked heated debate and criticism about the effectiveness of the Japanese judicial system especially when concerning juvenile criminals. The sheer brutality, unspeakable savageness and disgustingly vile nature of the crime has been the stuff of urban legend. Junko's harrowing ordeal and death has been recounted (in sometimes chilling and graphic detail) on numerous web pages and blogs across the world and tribute videos and pages on Facebook have been uploaded in honor of her memory.
At least three books including Atsumi's have been written on the case. In addition a lurid manga/comic retelling of the event by Uziga Waita was also released.
Invariably a film adaptation was soon to follow with the first one being 1995's "Joshikosei Concrete-zume Satsujin-Jiken" (The Concrete-Encased High School Girl Murder Case) a nasty low budget, exploitation film by Matsumura Katsuya whose own grim and revolting "All Night Long" series eerily mirrored the Furuta Junko case.
This was followed by Kawasaki Gunji's equally unpleasant film "Shonen No Hanzai" AKA "Juvenile Crime" in 1997.
Nakamura's "Concrete" is the third film to depict this case and was immediately reviled upon its release.
Although Nakamura's film tried to distance itself from the actual case of Furuta Junko by changing some of the particulars of the case including making the assailants adults (high school dropouts and Yakuza affiliated criminals) and using fictitious names (the abducted girl is named Misaki and the main assailant is named Oosugi Tatsuo), this did little to deflect the criticisms.
It had been scheduled to play at some select small theaters but was almost immediately pulled from release amid a wave of angry outcry and protest from various parent and watchdog groups who rightfully claimed that the film exploited the tragedy and sensationalized Junko's death.
Allegedly, members of the Yakuza also made threats against the production company and distributor of the film as it insinuated their involvement with the crime.
It is hard to fathom what Nakamura's motive for the film was. Was it to portray the depths and pure evilness of man similar to Pier Paolo Pasolini's infamous "Salo AKA 100 Days of Sodom"?
The first half of the film focuses on Oosugi Tatsuo (Takaoka Sosuke - "Crows Zero", "Battle Royale") and his gang of thugs including friends Ozaki Hiroaki (Kobayashi Katsuya - "Kamen Rider Kabuto - God Speed Love", "Linda Linda Linda"), Ikeda Tomomi (Tsuge Ryoji - "Nagisa", "Dare Mo Shireinai AKA Nobody Knows") and Matsumoto Takaoh (Mano Kesuke) who form the "Ryujin Kai" (Dragon God Society). Their days are spent with acts of mischief, trouble-making and random violence.
One fateful night they abduct a young high school student Misaki (Former AV Actress Komori Miki) who was heading home after finishing her part-time job.
The film becomes almost unwatchable from this point forward with Tatsuo and his gang committing ever more gruesome and depraved acts of violence on Misaki (some of the scenes are shot in point-of-view perspective).
Although the film depicts Misaki's abduction and torture as an act of unbelievable cruelty and a senseless murder by four contemptible men, the lead assailant is bizarrely portrayed in a sympathetic light with the final shot (a dream?) being of an incarcerated Tatsuo cradling a wounded dove while sobbing (out of remorse?).
Nakamura and screenwriter Kanno Hiroshi (who also penned the equally controversial film series "Jisatsu Manual" AKA Suicide Manual) have crafted a truly morbid and revolting film. While not as gory or bloody as other more repellent films like the notorious "A Serbian Film" or the infamous "Guinea Pig: Devil's Experiment", "Concrete" is just as depraved.
Takaoka does what he can in a truly distasteful role as Tatsuo. Komori Miki also tries her best in a thankless role as the victimized Misaki.
Rather than produce a film that exploits this heinous crime, it would have been more meaningful if the producers had explored the life of Furuta Junko and how the Japanese Justice System had failed her family from finding true justice.
If any one good thing has come about this film is that it has further helped to spread the story of Furuta Junko to a sympathetic world and has kept her memory alive (even if in an unfortunately morbid way). I only hope that she and other crime victims like Masuno Yurika (a Japanese Exchange Student who was brutally assaulted and killed in Romania earlier this year) somehow can find peace in knowing that their memories are alive on the net and that their stories have resonated in the heart of others.
The Junko Furuta case sparked heated debate and criticism about the effectiveness of the Japanese judicial system especially when concerning juvenile criminals. The sheer brutality, unspeakable savageness and disgustingly vile nature of the crime has been the stuff of urban legend. Junko's harrowing ordeal and death has been recounted (in sometimes chilling and graphic detail) on numerous web pages and blogs across the world and tribute videos and pages on Facebook have been uploaded in honor of her memory.
At least three books including Atsumi's have been written on the case. In addition a lurid manga/comic retelling of the event by Uziga Waita was also released.
Invariably a film adaptation was soon to follow with the first one being 1995's "Joshikosei Concrete-zume Satsujin-Jiken" (The Concrete-Encased High School Girl Murder Case) a nasty low budget, exploitation film by Matsumura Katsuya whose own grim and revolting "All Night Long" series eerily mirrored the Furuta Junko case.
This was followed by Kawasaki Gunji's equally unpleasant film "Shonen No Hanzai" AKA "Juvenile Crime" in 1997.
Nakamura's "Concrete" is the third film to depict this case and was immediately reviled upon its release.
Although Nakamura's film tried to distance itself from the actual case of Furuta Junko by changing some of the particulars of the case including making the assailants adults (high school dropouts and Yakuza affiliated criminals) and using fictitious names (the abducted girl is named Misaki and the main assailant is named Oosugi Tatsuo), this did little to deflect the criticisms.
It had been scheduled to play at some select small theaters but was almost immediately pulled from release amid a wave of angry outcry and protest from various parent and watchdog groups who rightfully claimed that the film exploited the tragedy and sensationalized Junko's death.
Allegedly, members of the Yakuza also made threats against the production company and distributor of the film as it insinuated their involvement with the crime.
It is hard to fathom what Nakamura's motive for the film was. Was it to portray the depths and pure evilness of man similar to Pier Paolo Pasolini's infamous "Salo AKA 100 Days of Sodom"?
The first half of the film focuses on Oosugi Tatsuo (Takaoka Sosuke - "Crows Zero", "Battle Royale") and his gang of thugs including friends Ozaki Hiroaki (Kobayashi Katsuya - "Kamen Rider Kabuto - God Speed Love", "Linda Linda Linda"), Ikeda Tomomi (Tsuge Ryoji - "Nagisa", "Dare Mo Shireinai AKA Nobody Knows") and Matsumoto Takaoh (Mano Kesuke) who form the "Ryujin Kai" (Dragon God Society). Their days are spent with acts of mischief, trouble-making and random violence.
One fateful night they abduct a young high school student Misaki (Former AV Actress Komori Miki) who was heading home after finishing her part-time job.
The film becomes almost unwatchable from this point forward with Tatsuo and his gang committing ever more gruesome and depraved acts of violence on Misaki (some of the scenes are shot in point-of-view perspective).
Although the film depicts Misaki's abduction and torture as an act of unbelievable cruelty and a senseless murder by four contemptible men, the lead assailant is bizarrely portrayed in a sympathetic light with the final shot (a dream?) being of an incarcerated Tatsuo cradling a wounded dove while sobbing (out of remorse?).
Nakamura and screenwriter Kanno Hiroshi (who also penned the equally controversial film series "Jisatsu Manual" AKA Suicide Manual) have crafted a truly morbid and revolting film. While not as gory or bloody as other more repellent films like the notorious "A Serbian Film" or the infamous "Guinea Pig: Devil's Experiment", "Concrete" is just as depraved.
Takaoka does what he can in a truly distasteful role as Tatsuo. Komori Miki also tries her best in a thankless role as the victimized Misaki.
Rather than produce a film that exploits this heinous crime, it would have been more meaningful if the producers had explored the life of Furuta Junko and how the Japanese Justice System had failed her family from finding true justice.
If any one good thing has come about this film is that it has further helped to spread the story of Furuta Junko to a sympathetic world and has kept her memory alive (even if in an unfortunately morbid way). I only hope that she and other crime victims like Masuno Yurika (a Japanese Exchange Student who was brutally assaulted and killed in Romania earlier this year) somehow can find peace in knowing that their memories are alive on the net and that their stories have resonated in the heart of others.
