Is being bitten by a wolf should make you afraid or is it the awakening to meet your true self? When You Open The Door is a japanese werewolf movie that tackles femine isolation, a dark fantasy about finding happiness.
The story is about Miki, a quiet girl, who works at an arhitectural firm. When she was a child she saw a wolf like monster, but no one ever believed her. One day she gets attacked in an alley by something that resambles that beast, a wolf. She begins to change little by little, her senses sharpen, her emotions fluctate and her childhood memories begin to resurface. She receives a strange inviation to the Moon Waiting Gathering by myserious shrine maidens with the words ‘Open The Door’.
Miki is played by Serina Motola, a japanese model in the international fashion scenes. She made herself a distinctive presence in films such as ‘Voices in the Wind’ and won The Best New Actress Award. ‘When You Open The Door’ has very little dialouge, and Serina’s character doesn’t talk much, instead she gives an intense physical performance.
The film was directed by Eriko Katagiri, an independent filmmaker. She has won the grand prize at the third Japan Horror Film Award. She describes the movie as liberating, she wants the audience to feel a sense of courage, to live their lives freely, “to run through the world however they want to”.
The film was shown back in August at the Fantasia Film Festival where they loved it and got described as one of the most unique werewolf movies ever put on the big screen. It will premiere in Japanese theaters next year on January 7th, no info about internation release yet.
