3/5 stars
Parasite in Love opens as germophobe loner Kengo (Kento Hayashi) looks on from his window at the city exploding in a fireball of his own creation.
It is an image that immediately recalls the finale of David Fincher’s Fight Club and, whether intentionally or not, the arc of Kensaku Kakimoto’s romantic drama follows a similar trajectory as a pair of outsiders find a kinship in one another that inspires them towards an act of cyberterrorism.
Kengo’s mysophobia prevents him from forming any kind of physical relationship, and he has become a shut-in. Determined to vent his frustrations on the outside world, he busies himself developing a computer virus.
After passing out on a bus, Kengo comes into contact with high-schooler Hijiri (Nana Komatsu), who suffers from scopophobia, a similarly dissociative condition in which she fears being stared at – apparently caused by a worm in her brain that is slowly killing her.
She brings Kengo home, where her scientist grandfather (Ryo Ishibashi) is eager to study him. Hijiri’s father (Arata Iura) uncovers Kengo’s plot, and blackmails him into keeping his daughter company for the remaining months of her life. He has little choice but to accept, and inevitably the pair develop a romantic kinship.
Adapted from a novel by Sugaru Miaki, Parasite in Love is only Kakimoto’s second feature film and arrives a full decade after his 2011 debut, Ugly. Nevertheless, his work displays the confidence and visual flair of a much more seasoned filmmaker.
Striking surrealist imagery is complemented by a bold and propulsive soundtrack, infusing the film with a seductive youthful vitality even as its needlessly convoluted narrative struggles to take hold.
Jumping from adolescent romance to cyberpunk thriller to biological horror, Parasite in Love never quite establishes what kind of movie it is.
Making matters worse, Hayashi is a frustratingly bland protagonist, not helped by being hidden behind a face mask and wide-brimmed hat for much of the runtime.
So it falls to Komatsu to carry the drama almost single-handedly. One of the most accomplished young actresses of her generation, Komatsu is never less than a compelling presence on screen, yet even she appears somewhat overwhelmed by Kakimoto’s infectious, yet never entirely successful fantasy.
Parasite in Love is streaming on Netflix.
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on FacebookncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51kuaqyxKyrsqSVZLKvwMSrq5qhnqKyr8COmqmtoZOhsnB%2FkHBnbmxjZLumwMWloLFlnaTDqrGMq5yvoZWserGt0ZqqoqyVYrmwwsRmqq2qkaO0pnnJmqeappWosm6%2BzqaYp5uV