Sana (AKA Minna no uta) (2023) Arrow Player Review
Sana (AKA Minna no uta) (2023) Arrow Player Review
Starring J-Pop supergroup ‘Generations from Exile Tribe’ playing fictionalised versions of themselves, SANA sees the bandmembers discover a mysterious cassette tape containing only a simple melody. But this earworm comes with sinister consequences, as anyone who hears the tune becomes compelled to constantly hum it and finds themselves plagued with horrifying ghostly visions. The band, their manager and a world-weary detective must team up to uncover the mystery behind the tape and save themselves from falling under its malignant spell.
By the time the J-Horror phase of the late Nineties and early Noughties had played out I had had my fill of ghostly young girls with long black hair haunting folks by way of a curse. Here we are now twenty years later, and I am presented with SANA, a recent throwback to those J-horrors that concerns a ghostly young schoolchild, and as per the norm she comes complete with a curse that affects anyone unfortunate enough to cross her path. And surprisingly I found myself liking it.
SANA is straightforward and by-the-numbers and unlike several others that fall under the J-Horror umbrella, I could both understand and follow the narrative, and it keep me glued to the screen throughout. SANA is directed Takashi Shimizu who was previously responsible for the JU-ON franchise, the first of which was remade by the US in 2004 as THE GRUDGE, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar which Shimizu also directed, so he has previous form and ably helms this latest solid genre offering.
For a film that follows the J-horror template, SANA still feels fresh and engaging, and has a mystery at its core that you aa the viewer will want to stick with and unravel. By casting seven-member J-pop band Generations from Exile Tribe as themselves in key roles it is a given that none of them are going to meet a grisly demise lest the film’s makers upset the band’s fanbase so those of you expecting a body count, think again! By the time I had finished watching SANA I was hyped up and buzzing and itching to watch the film’s follow-up that Arrow had also forwarded me a screener for but alas as is often the case with a sequel, it did not match the fun or the thrills of this significantly more fun original.
