A high-schooler dealing with insomnia and PTSD begins to question her reality in this psychological thriller. Our protagonist (Nana Seino) is part of an art group at a prestigious high-school; a talented student she attracts the diapproval of her classmates who distance themselves from her. Spending her time either at the nurses office in an attempt to cure her migraines and sleeplessness; or alone in a large hall working on an unseen art installation. However, mysterious statements by her teacher and the head of the school, the inexplicable behaviour of her and her classmates, and meaningful symbols and phrases crossing her path, suggest that her reality may not be all that it seems.
“Nowhere Girl”, directed by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) from a Kei Yamamura screenplay, features an intriguing premise that is let down by poor execution. The plot of the film builds to a twist that, when revealed, makes sense, but leaves the viewer feeling slightly cheated. Clues are sprinkled throughout as to the cause of the girl’s daydreams and the bizarre surroundings of the school, staff and students, but it feels like a puzzle that is constructed without any deeper significance, and one that once solved leaves little else up for discussion. The direction does a great job of capturing the unreality of the setting, with soft-focus black and white imagery creating a fantastical space that is supported by the classical score. There are artistic flourishes too, such as the swimming pool sequence and the scene in which a spider crawls down the ankle of a nude model that hints a deeper meaning which fails to materialise. The biggest problem with the central mystery, which takes up more than two thirds of the run-time, is that it leaves the audience distanced from the characters, their peculiarly emotionless behaviour fails to provoke sympathy and the film is purposefully misleading. This visually-stunning but shallow exploration of the girls’ psychology is broken into by a frenetic action sequence that appears to connect only tenuously to what has preceeeded it. We are then given the finale in which the previously inexplicable elements are tied together neatly. This ending is a let-down in two senses: firstly, it is not shocking enough as a twist, not least because it feels so contrived; secondly, it sets up a scenerio which you feel would be more exciting to watch than the film you just sat through.
Mamoru Oshii has tackled psychological fare before in “Talking Head”. In “Nowhere Girl” hsi directorial skills are on display with some standout moments, but the whole feels underwhelming. The film establishes an intriguing central mystery but sadly fails to stick the landing. If it had pushed the boundaries of the dream-like structure; or had a more compelling plot running alongside the puzzle-box story, the ending would feel more deserved. There are scenes of sexual harassment and abuse that would have provided ample thematic material to maintain interest and prompt rewatches, but again the film fails to do anything with this, instead relying on a riddle that when answered leaves you with little else to contemplate.
