Himizu(ヒミズ)

Total Film by

It offers a surreal slant on post-Fukushima Japan where aggression lurks in every scene - even the romantic ones between high-schooler Yuichi (Shôta Sometani) and his stalker classmate, Keiko (Fumi Nikaidô).

Variety by Boyd van Hoeij

Because Sono tries to set the manga’s storyline, with its stylized violence, in the very real, post-earthquake/tsunami disaster area, Himizu struggles to find a coherent tone.

Empire by David Parkinson

Over-the-top but blackly funny along the way.

The Hollywood Reporter by Deborah Young

Young leads Shota Sometani and Fumi Nikaidou – both experienced film actors – grow in stature as the film progresses to the achingly real final scene, where they are extraordinarily intense and effective.

Slant Magazine by Kenji Fujishima

Sion Sono's film is a vision of coming of age as trial by fire, a thunderous encapsulation of that period of transition in which adolescents try to discover themselves: their passions, their purpose, their sense of morality.

The New York Times by Miriam Bale

Mr. Sono uses sound, a low, grumbling noise like an earthquake, to convey this chaos. He also gives the film a harrowing cacophony and a sense of trauma with sound effects, including subtle echoes.

Village Voice by Pete Vonder Haar

Intermittently refreshing yet thoroughly unpleasant.

Time Out London by Tom Huddleston

Much of the film's impact stems from a pair of remarkable lead performances.