Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 84 Minutes
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Shinya Tsukamoto
Cast: Masahiro Motoki, Ryo, Shiho Fujimura, Renji Ishibashi, Tadanobu Asano
From director Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo The Iron Man) comes the Gothic-tinged Gemini (1999) which is set in Tokyo in 1910 where Dr. Yukio Daitokuji (Masahiro Motoki, Takashi Miike's The Bird People In China), a renowned former military surgeon, has taken over a successful medical practice from his father. He seemingly leads a blessed life with a establish career, a stunning wife Rin (Ryo, Alive) and the respect of the community.
All of that begins to crumble following the sudden death of of his parents, both passing suddenly after an unsettling midnight encounters with a rag-wearing stranger who bares a signature birthmark. We then learn that a plague is ravaging the poorer areas of Tokyo, and with it we discover that Yukio has quite a distaste for what he refers to as 'slum people', despite his oath refusing to treat a slum mother and her plague infected child, choosing instead to give aid to the city's well-off mayor, a decision that angers his wife.
Not long after after Yukio is walking around the property when he encounters what appears to be his doppelganger, a violent struggle ensues resulting in him being trapped at the bottom of a dormant well. Unable to escape he is taunted daily by his evil-twin who has taken his place, choosing to close the clinic so that he can lavish affections on Rin, whom it is not lost on that her husband is much more passionate that he had previously been, which makes her suspect something strange is afoot.
I won't go on to spoil more than that, but there's a rich and deep backstory the digs into the family's long thought-forgotten past, a secret which ties into a Rin's own backstory, she having been suffering amnesia when she met Yukio, who found her washed up on the bank of a river. It's a thoroughly entertaining and enthralling story of love and revenge, one that stuck with me for a good while after I finished watching.
Having only been only familiar with Shinya Tsukamoto's transgressive cyber-punk industrial film Tetsuo The Iron Man (1989) I was a pleasantly blown away with how gorgeous and Gothic tinged this period film was. It is a thing of visual splendor with deep colored lighting that sets a bit of Gothic horror tone and helps build the mounting suspense, leading to a violent and frenzied finale that felt like an apocalyptic fever dream.
Audio/Video: Gemini (1999) makes it's worldwide debut on Blu-ray from Mondo Macabro framed in 1.85:1 widescreen in 1080p HD. The source for the the scan is the original camera negative and it looks gorgeous, we get a lush layer of fine looking film grain and the colors are wonderfully deep and saturated, the red, green and purple hues looks luminescent in HD. Skin tones when shown in natural lighting looks accurate and the black levels are deep and shadowy throughout. Audio comes by way of Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo with optional English subtitles. Dialogue is cleanly presented and well-balanced, the score from Chu Ishikawa (A Snake In June) also sounds terrific in the mix.
Extras begin with the 18-min 'The Making Of Gemini', featurette which was directed by Takashi Miike (Audition), it has got some great behind-the-scenes footage, plus we get a 17-min 'Venice Film Festival 1999 Premiere' featurette, which follows the director and the leads while they're attending the premiere at Venice, including some press junkets. 'Make-Up Demonstration' is just that, a 6-min make-up tutorial with the make-up artist as he does the make-up for Ryô’s character followed by an interview.
Special Features:
-Making of GEMINI directed by Takashi Miike (18 min)
- Venice Premiere featurette (17 min)
- Make-Up Demonstration (6 min)
- Behind the Scenes (20 min)
- Mondo Macabro Previews
Gemini (1999) is a strange and visually sumptuous Gothic-tinged love story that is actually quite a timely plague film given the worldwide pandemic were currently living through. This is not only one of my favorite discoveries this year but also my favorite release from Mondo Macabro as well, highly recommended.
Order this from the good guys at Diabolik:
https://www.diabolikdvd.com/product/gemini-mondo-macabro-blu-ray/
More screenshots from the Blu-ray:
