Pyrokinesis

Rating:
Summary: Fire, Blood, Tears and Brimstone...
Review: Junko Aoki is a quiet young woman who keeps herself to herself. She is seemingly aloof from her co-workers where she works who in turn treat her badly and make fun of her because of this.

What they don't know is that Junko's aloofness is born out of a terrible secret she keeps deep inside herself, a secret so frightening, so terrifying it has the ability to kill if Junko is ever roused to anger.

Junko is cursed with the power of pyrokinesis, the ability to start terrible fires at will. This power is hereditary and from childhood she has been warned by her anxious mother never to give into her anger because of what will happen if she does.

However as a defenceless child Junko was forced to kill a boy who tried to attack her and she has never forgotten the terror she felt as she saw the youth explode into flames and die before her eyes.

It is this memory that makes Junko so aloof and distant from her fellow workers, however she is lonely and when she is befriended by the gentle Mr Tada, a fellow office worker, she lets her defences down for the first time since she was a child, falls in love with him and becomes close to his teenage sister, the lively and loving Yukie.

When Yukie is cruelly murdered by a group of young men making Snuff Films for kicks, Junko's fire born rage is ignited and she reveals to her friend Mr Tada the terrible gift she has harboured within her since birth.

At first Mr Tada is consumed by the need to revenge his younger sister's death but when he sees one of the murderers catch light and the agony and pain such a fiery end causes, he momentarily backs away from Junko, unable to continue with his quest. He is confused and unsure of what he wants in the way of retribution for his beloved sister's death.

Junko is also being doggedly tracked by a sympathetic female Police Officer, Kaori whose sense of humour is wonderfully dry and brittle, especially when unexplained fires flare up along with her male junior colleague who just might have a terrible link to Junko from a past the young woman would rather forget.
Junko though is out for revenge, especially when a stranger gives her tape of Yukie's death and she sets out on a journey which could ultimately lead to both her redemption and destruction.

There are many poignant moments in this movie like when Junko tries to have a family life with a young girl who has similar powers to her own, and her memories of her mother's warnings about the power she possesses within. Some of the last scenes are the most memorable and touching and there is a strange beauty if the violence of fire.

The plot has many twists in it, and some of them you don't expect which makes the movie all the more exciting and watchable.

All the characters are larger than life but are also incredibly subtle and the actresses playing Junko and Kaori steal the show with their strength and vulnerability.

This movie is very reminiscent of Stephen King's book and film Firestarter; this movie however is far superior, in acting, special effects, the musical score and the twists and turns of a complex but thrilling plot.

Some people might be put off by the fact that the film is in Japanese and has subtitles, take it from me, it makes no difference whatsoever to the quality of the film.

This is a brilliant movie, and well worth borrowing from your local library (if they have it) or buying it and sitting down to an excellent evening of fire, blood, tears and brimstone.

Rating:
Summary: Catching Fire
Review: PYROKINESIS -- despite a slow middle third -- plays out like a memorable episode of Fox Television's popular THE X FILES ... but with a unique afterlife twist.

Born with the ability to telepathically ignite fires, Junko spends her life primarily in isolation -- fearing inadvertantly hurting others -- until a polite coworker loses his younger sister to a vicious crime associated to the making of a "snuff" film. Then, Junko comes out of her closet, using her secret powers to help fuel the young man's revenge. However, as she is quick to discover, Junko is not the only person with psychic abilities, and, before the eventually psychokinetic showdown of wills with adversaries and colleagues, Junko's abilities will be tested to their bittersweet limits.

Filled with terrific special effects and a dose of credibility handled by exceptional actors, PYROKINESIS cooks like a slow thriller should ... simmering slowly until the pot-boiling conclusion.