It is an odd fact that most woman who are raped do not report the crime. In fact some feel ashamed and embarrassed by the act of violence against them. This is one reason why rape is very different than robbery, assault or many other crimes. Many more issues and emotions come into play on a rape than other crimes. Takashi Ishii explores society's reaction to woman who are raped in a powerful, but truthful way in "Freeze Me".
SUMMARY ****MINOR SPOILERS*****
Chihiro was raped by men from her home town and videotaped. 5 years later we see her making a new life in Tokyo. She has a good job, good friends, and a great fiancee', but Chihiro has told no one of her past. Very early we see that the Japan that she inhabits looks down at woman having sex before marriage. This is seen through a conversation between Chihiro, her fiancee' and some of their friends. When they admit they have made love already their friends think it is scandalous.
Suddenly one day when she is in her apartment lobby she sees one of the men who raped her. He treats her like an old friend, but she is horrified and scared. He forces his way up to her apartment and tells her that soon there will be a reunion at her place, with her old "friends".
Obviously Chihiro is afraid of being raped again and she is. Before all the others show up the man forces himself on her. What is odd is that he then starts to live with her, forcing her to do what he says threatening to tell everyone of her past and show pictures from the video of the rape. It is difficult to understand why she is so embarressed to call the police when she was the victim, not a willing participant. Why will her friends think she is a whore and disassociate themselves from her when she was raped?. Is Japanese society's view on women so skewed that these actions are accurate or is Takashi Ishii's Japan an exaggerated look at the world? I do not have the answer to this and became the most difficult part of the film to understand. It is holding me back from saying this is one of Japan's best contemporary films because i am not sure if this kind of set up is logical or not.
Soon Chihiro can not take the abuse anymore and because no one will help her (the man told her fiancee' about the rape and he abandoned her out of shame) she lashes out at her victimizer. One by one the men show up at her apartment and one by one she has her revenge.
END OF SUMMARY*****
Women taking matters into their own hands because society will not help them is the central theme in "Freeze Me". Ishii explores this by setting most of the action in Chihiro's apartment creating a small world inwhich the outside will not help her. The best of Contemporary Japanese genre films take basic exploitation plots and use them to showcase higher ideas. They elavate exploitation, but are still able to deliver the visceral thrills that make exploitation enjoyable (i.e Battle Royale, Audition). "Freeze Me" does this well. Rape is a hard subject to tackle and not everyone will agree with me that Ishii handled it with respect and seriousness. Many still may think it is a standard Rape/Revenge flick that has been done so many times before. I say their is to much subtext to write "Freeze Me" off as simple mindless vulgarity. The film is brutal and disturbing, but Ishii does not take pleasure in the rape or he does not show Chihiro as a "good guy" when she takes revenge. This move might sicken you and you may feel dirty after watching it, but hopefully it will also make you think about how woman seen in our world and the value we put on them.
SUMMARY ****MINOR SPOILERS*****
Chihiro was raped by men from her home town and videotaped. 5 years later we see her making a new life in Tokyo. She has a good job, good friends, and a great fiancee', but Chihiro has told no one of her past. Very early we see that the Japan that she inhabits looks down at woman having sex before marriage. This is seen through a conversation between Chihiro, her fiancee' and some of their friends. When they admit they have made love already their friends think it is scandalous.
Suddenly one day when she is in her apartment lobby she sees one of the men who raped her. He treats her like an old friend, but she is horrified and scared. He forces his way up to her apartment and tells her that soon there will be a reunion at her place, with her old "friends".
Obviously Chihiro is afraid of being raped again and she is. Before all the others show up the man forces himself on her. What is odd is that he then starts to live with her, forcing her to do what he says threatening to tell everyone of her past and show pictures from the video of the rape. It is difficult to understand why she is so embarressed to call the police when she was the victim, not a willing participant. Why will her friends think she is a whore and disassociate themselves from her when she was raped?. Is Japanese society's view on women so skewed that these actions are accurate or is Takashi Ishii's Japan an exaggerated look at the world? I do not have the answer to this and became the most difficult part of the film to understand. It is holding me back from saying this is one of Japan's best contemporary films because i am not sure if this kind of set up is logical or not.
Soon Chihiro can not take the abuse anymore and because no one will help her (the man told her fiancee' about the rape and he abandoned her out of shame) she lashes out at her victimizer. One by one the men show up at her apartment and one by one she has her revenge.
END OF SUMMARY*****
Women taking matters into their own hands because society will not help them is the central theme in "Freeze Me". Ishii explores this by setting most of the action in Chihiro's apartment creating a small world inwhich the outside will not help her. The best of Contemporary Japanese genre films take basic exploitation plots and use them to showcase higher ideas. They elavate exploitation, but are still able to deliver the visceral thrills that make exploitation enjoyable (i.e Battle Royale, Audition). "Freeze Me" does this well. Rape is a hard subject to tackle and not everyone will agree with me that Ishii handled it with respect and seriousness. Many still may think it is a standard Rape/Revenge flick that has been done so many times before. I say their is to much subtext to write "Freeze Me" off as simple mindless vulgarity. The film is brutal and disturbing, but Ishii does not take pleasure in the rape or he does not show Chihiro as a "good guy" when she takes revenge. This move might sicken you and you may feel dirty after watching it, but hopefully it will also make you think about how woman seen in our world and the value we put on them.