First off, the name of this film is actually “Gomennasai”, which translates to “I’m Sorry”. I think changing the name to “Ring of Curse” was the American distributor’s attempt at capitalizing on the Asian horror clichés that preceded this film’s release, which is understandable from a business perspective, but I feel that the new title is a bit of a disservice to the film itself.
While it does play with the “curse” sub-genre that became synonymous with J-horror, it does so in such a grounded and effective way. The film is divided into three “diary” entries, narrated from the perspective of the protagonist and the antagonist. This allows both characters to develop via great monologues/dialogue. There aren’t any ghosts or elaborate deaths, which may turn some people off, but this is the perfect example of how competent writing can really drive a film, especially a low budget one like this. And actually, the curse in the film is produced by the antagonist’s own writing! Ahh the power of words..
The director, Mari Asato, began her career working as an apprentice under Kiyoshi Kurosawa.. that alone sparked my interest and I’m so glad I wasn’t disappointed! Anyway, I finally bought a copy of the DVD, 9 years later 😅
