A Record of Sweet Murder: Written Review

A Record of Sweet Murder

Written Review

Hi everyone and welcome to MyIndie Review Vlog, the show that gives you spoiler-free reviews of indie films. My name is Asaf Angel from MyIndie Productions.

Today I’ll be reviewing 2014 horror feature A Record of Sweet Murder, written and directed by Japanese filmmaker, Kôji Shiraishi, and recently picked up for distribution by Unearthed Films.

Thank you, Kôji and Unearthed, for sharing your film with us.

Soyeon, a young South Korean journalist portrayed by Kkobbi Kim, and her Japanese cameraman, played by Kôji himself, are invited by a young man, Sangjoon, played by Je-wook Yeon, to meet in a dilapidated city apartment.

The circumstances of Sangjoon reaching out to Soyeon, are unusual and very worrisome. Sangjoon is a fugitive, on the run from a mental facility, who has reportedly murdered 18 people since his escape from the authorities. Sangjoon is also Soyeon’s childhood friend, which prompts her to accept the meeting and to bring her cameraman with her to Sangjoon’s request.

Soyeon and her cameraman meet with Sangjoon and from there he begins to tell them about his actions and their purpose.

I can’t really say more about the plot for fear of spoiling. Let’s just say that from the second they walk into that apartment, all characters involved, are in for a massively life-defining experience.

There are several aspects of the storyline that can be interpreted as some sort of social commentary. The way the film is shot can relate to the way we see things today, all through a camera screen, giving us all kinds of material and “reality” which we probably should not be watching, yet we can’t look away. The film deals with friendship, religion, love, belief in forces beyond us, right and wrong, and redemption. Again, going into detail would most likely enter spoiler territory.

The camera, helmed by Kôji, is acknowledged as part of the story, as the whole plot is delivered through it. Kôji built a roller-coaster plot, that is beautifully designed to keep us on the edge of our seats, and to achieve that with a story that largely takes place in a single and small location is no mean feat.

The plot begins with many questions raised, and with each scene it progresses and exponentially increases the intrigue as the story unveils, without a single dull moment.

A Record of Sweet Murder is seemingly filmed with a single continuous shot. And I say “seemingly” as a form of respect, as it is jam-packed with a lot of camera movement, intricate action sequences, and VERY precise frame staging throughout, ingeniously disguised as casual documenting.

Logically, to hold an 86-minute continuous shot with that much going on, can be paralleled to succeeding in threading a hundred needle points on the first try. Unless Kôji didn’t do ten-thousand takes of the whole film to get it right, because every time something goes wrong, you’d need to shoot the whole film from Scene One, I’d say with admiration, that the film’s edit is surgically constructed with seamlessly concealed cuts, to give a marvelous illusion of a continuous shot, reminiscent of how key sequences were shot in films like The Villainess.

Other than the captivating premise and interesting story structure, A Record of Sweet Murder elegantly incorporated a plethora of moving parts in almost flawless harmony. That, of course, includes very accurate performances from the cast and crew, including action coordination by Ricky Jun and visual effects by Alex Kok. To Kôji and Team, all that is left to say is WELL DONE!

A Record of Sweet Murder, gets an 8/10 on the Look At Me, I’m A Film Critic scale!
The film is available for purchase via Unearthed Films as well as a variety of other sources. Links included.

Until next time, keep supporting indie film. Watch, share, spread the word, my name is Asaf Angel, I thank you for tuning in to MyIndie Review Vlog. I’ll see you next Thursday!