Fatal Frame

Fatal Frame is a movie based on a video game. But Fatal Frame the movie has more or less nothing to do with said video game. It does have lesbians though. Frankly, I think this movie should inspire others to make video game tie-ins that may or may not have anything to do with the source material but definitely contain queer content.

From what I’ve looked up about the video game it’s based on, the main focus of the game is that you’ve got a special camera and you go around photographing ghosts. There’s six of these games now and all of them have enough plot to adapt into a movie. Not only did they not adapt any of the pre-existing stories, the movie also doesn’t really touch on the ghost camera until the very last scene. So if you are a fan of the game, this movie will probably disappoint you because it has very little in common with it. However, I haven’t played any of these games so personally, I don’t really care.

The film is about a very specific curse that affects girls at a Japanese boarding school. The curse is that if you kiss the photo of the person you love most at exactly midnight, you will disappear and die. This curse seems to be tied to Aya, the object of many of the girls’ affection including Michi. Michi and Aya begin investigating to stop the curse while also taking the first tentative steps into a romantic relationship.

What I really liked about Fatal Frame was Michi and Aya’s relationship. They go from being friends to tentative girlfriends while they’re solving ghost mysteries. There’s something so sweet and innocent about their affection towards one another. They don’t do more than hand-holding and share a single kiss which I’m fine with because they are young girls. The movie effectively makes you feel that even the first time they hold hands is a huge romantic step for both of them. Lots of movies with queer relationships are R-rated and sex is part of the depicted relationship. So it was nice to see a change and have the queer couple have a sexless, first love high school sweethearts type-relationship.

What’s also great is that this film has an almost entirely female cast. Besides Michi and Aya’s relationship, the movie is full of female characters and unique interpersonal dynamics between females. I do think it’s weird that the film acknowledges the continuing taboo on homosexuality in Japan but at this boarding school, all of the girls openly talk about their crushes on other girls. And even though it’s a Catholic school, there’s no repercussions from this, even from any of the nuns. However, I’m not exactly going to be mad at a lack of homophobia and the fact that this environment seems too accepting.

In terms of the horror elements, I will admit that this curse begs a lot of questions. The main one to me is that it seems really easy to avoid. Just don’t kiss the picture of your crush at exactly midnight. Some girls are compelled to do it by supernatural forces though. And also maybe the curse didn’t kill these girls but the groundskeeper? I’m not even entirely sure. Additionally, the third act plot twist begs some questions. Basically, it’s best not to think about the story too much and just roll with it.

What helps me overlook some of the weird story elements is that this movie is really competently directed and edited. Director Mari Asato knows how to shoot a mood and keeps a balance between this being a mystery-horror movie while also developing the romantic relationship between Michi and Aya. There’s some good ghost-based moments that are eerie while not relying on jump-scares. If you’re looking for a movie that’s creepy but not scary, this might be the movie for you.

While I had some problems with the story in this movie, I still recommend it as either a horror movie or if you want to see an innocent high school lesbian romance. Director Mari Asato manages to overcome the weaker bits of the script with a consistent, eerie atmosphere. Sure, there’s some weird curse-based stuff happening but after all, there’s also a whole lot of Japanese horror films that have even weirder curses. This is definitely one of the stronger lesbian horror films I’ve seen.

Overall rating: 6.6/10

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