1. Why does Mitsuko pester Shumei and Ikuko? Why rob someone else's mother?
There are indeed many ghosts in Japan that are unreasonable, but there are still traces to follow. The house number of Mitsuko's house only has her father and her name, indicating that she and her mother have not lived together for a long time and are very eager for maternal love. She and Yuzi have many similarities. For example, they go to the same kindergarten. They have the experience of no one coming to pick them up on rainy days. They are both single-parent families. But the difference is that Yu Zi finally waited until her father came to pick her up, and her mother loved her to accompany her. And Mitsuko could only go home alone in the rain, but no one found out that she fell into the water tank on the roof. Similar experiences have different endings. It is conceivable that Mitsuko's loneliness and longing for maternal love during her lifetime turned into intense jealousy of Yuko and Shumei after her death, and resentment naturally haunts them all the time.
2. Is the recurring red backpack that Shumei sees an illusion?
I personally don't think so. Shumei did have a mental illness in the past, but I think it was only when she saw her ex-husband squeezing out the cigarette that she thought of the ashes on the elevator button, which reflected her mental problems under pressure. The red backpack was worn by Mitsuko when she was alive, because Mitsuko fell into the water tank. The repeated appearance of the red backpack should be a proof of her existence and a certain obsession, implying that Shumei and us, she is back, she has never disappeared.
3. Understanding of the ending
Shumei's love for her daughter Ikuko is naturally the theme of the film.
"Do you remember that you said that as long as you are with Yuzi, you are not afraid of anything. Has it not changed since then?"
"Of course it hasn't changed."
For the sake of her daughter's survival, Shumei is willing to stay in that house forever to accompany the dead Mitsuko, so that Mitsuko's grievance will no longer entangle her daughter. Even if I don't want to part, even if I can't be with my daughter anymore, sometimes leaving is a kind of protection and a manifestation of love.
Perhaps, when Shumei hugged Mitsuko's resentful spirit in the elevator, she also remembered the person who was not picked up on a rainy day. She experienced such loneliness when she was young and did not want her daughter to be like her, but due to work, she was unable to pick up her daughter on time. While she was full of guilt for her well-behaved daughter, she was unforgettable about her own experience. She also hoped that her mother would pick her up on a rainy day and give her a warm hug like she did to her daughter. So she understood Mitsuko's feeling of "wanting her mother", because she also longed for her mother that much.
People are born in water and die in water. "Water" seems to have a very deep meaning in East Asian culture. The main characters of the film are all women, whether it is "rain" or dripping water in various places, all implying characters and themes. The element of "water" is used well in horror films, and it will definitely have a very good effect, and I am very much looking forward to this.
View more about Dark Water reviews
