About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

Stylish and memorable, but a slow, acquired taste.



Pros

• Stylish direction
• Unique character study
• Vivid use of music and sound

Cons

• Slow pace
• At times style over substance
• Plot a bit muddy

Description

• Starring Masakiyo Sumida, Mari Torii, Naozo Hotta, Ariko Arita, Toshihisa Fukunaga, Sumiko Shirai
• Directed by Go Shibata
• Rated NR
• DVD Release Date: March 24, 2009

Guide Review - 'Late Bloomer' DVD Review

Sumida is a severely handicapped man who "speaks" only with through an electronic device, travels via electric wheelchair and relies on caretakers to aid with his daily living. His life is full of simple pleasures -- buying plastic toys from vending machines, drinking beer, listening to music -- and yet there are dark thoughts behind his perpetual smile.

When his old caretaker, Take, begins to spend too much time with his new helper, a pretty female college student named Nobuko, Sumida gets jealous. He's also annoyed that Nobuko only took the job as part of her thesis. She photographs and otherwise objectifies him, and when he propositions her, she rejects him. Fueled by booze and medication and the frustration at his social marginalization, he descends into homicidal rage.

Sumida begins to go out night and stab random people to death. People let their guards down around him, allowing him to strike, and when the police investigate, no one suspects that a handicapped man could pull off such brutal crimes.

Late Bloomer features one of the most intriguing cinematic serial killers in recent memory. Sumida is played by a real-life handicapped man named Sumida, casting that adds to the realism of a film whose lethargic pace, natural acting and seemingly adlibbed dialogue already make for a documentary feel.

The direction is avant-garde and kinetic, shot on black-and-white video with an arthouse sensibility, invoking memories of the groundbreaking Japanese film Tetsuo. It's thus not every horror fan's cup of tea, in part because it's only marginally a horror movie at all. The plot is minimal and the action is slow, featuring long stretches of introspection punctuated by brazen music and sound. As with many indie films, its artsy streak is more admirable than enjoyable.

The DVD

Special features include cast/director interviews.

Movie: B-
DVD: C-