Over Your Dead Body

The ghost story Yotsuya kaidan from 1825 has been filmed more than 30 times. But never the way Miike Takashi now has. In his script, this play filled with treachery, revenge and murder seamlessly meshes with the everyday reality of the actors. Kosuke Hasegawa so unites himself with his role of the evil ronin who first murders his bride’s father and then drops her that in real life he also has an affair. Meanwhile, his co-star and girlfriend rejects the advances of other actors and slowly pines away. Until the truth comes to the surface and a gruesome end is inevitable.
Over Your Dead Body is an extremely stylised film. The revolving stage has been beautifully lit and the soundtrack is dark and minimalist. The tension simmers out of sight and only explodes at the end - atypically for Miike, who is known for his bloodthirstyness. And it remains unclear what is real and what is imagined. See also As the Gods Will.