Mixing folklore with a fear of new technology, this cult film by Hideo Nakata made Japanese horror famous internationally and defined the genre for years.
According to an urban legend, a mysterious videotape is circulating around town: whoever watches it gets a phone call and dies exactly a week later. When the niece of journalist Reiko Asakawa dies in strange circumstances along with her friends, Reiko manages to trace the tape. Her investigation results in her watching it: now she has a week to find the source of the curse and stop it.
Sadako—a girl in white clothes with long, black hair—is the central image of the film inspired by onryō, the vengeful ghosts of Japanese folklore. Introducing the archetype into the world of late analogue technology, Hideo Nakata has turned the videotape into a carrier of unresolved trauma. During her investigation, the journalist reconstructs Sadako’s story, grounding the supernatural motif: the ghost is seeking revenge for violence that has remained hidden.
The film will be screened in Japanese with Russian subtitles.
«Ring»
Director: Hideo Nakata
Japan, 1998. 96 min.
18+