‘The Haunted House on the Cape’: Repairing the wounds of the soul

Among the most interesting female figures in the Japanese animation industry is screenwriter Reiko Yoshida, which was behind the acclaimed “A Silent Voice” or “Love is in the Water”. On this occasion the librettist adapts the novel ‘Misaki no Mayoiga’, by Sachiko Kashiwaba, now converted into “The Haunted House on the Head” directed by Shinya Kawatsura, who returns to the cinema after focusing primarily on directing anime series. The film was presented in the Official Selection of the Annecy Film Festival in 2022.

‘The Haunted House on the Cape’ has several elements that evoke Yoshida’s other works as a screenwriter. Two minor protagonists, both with a tragedy behind them, end up being greeted by an elderly woman who lives in a mysterious house located on a promontory located in the town of Kitsunezaki, near the maritime town of Otsuchi. What begins as a costume designer story, with typical touches of the slice-of-life subgenre, ends up leading to a story with touches of magical realism reminiscent of those seen in ‘Okko, the hostel and its ghosts’ and in the aforementioned ‘Love is in the water’.

Yoshida proves to have an innate talent for mixing costume elements with other awesome ones., exploiting concepts typical of Japanese folklore, such as the Mayoiga, the haunted house, which acts as a tool to heal the deep personal wounds that the two young protagonists, Yui and Hiyori, have. It is true that Yoshida takes different licenses with respect to the original work, especially in relation to the age of the main characters, but, in fact, These changes enrich a profound story that points to a placid gaze in relation to the healing of one’s personal wounds.

The novel was a tribute to the victims of the terrible earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan in 2011 and which caused a real social, human and environmental catastrophe, causing the death of 15,859 people and more than 300,000 displaced persons, not to mention the nuclear danger that occurred after the production of a radioactive leak in the Fukushima plants. The film deals with a misfortune, albeit a fait accompli, showing how the physical and psychological consequences persist over time. On the other hand, the film also addresses other social issues such as child abuse.

Beautiful costume designer story with snippets of fantastic cinema. A new triumph for screenwriter Reiko Yoshida

Yoshida shows her experience in telling stories marked by early childhood tragedy. In the case of “The Haunted House on the Cape”, the feature film is a more mature exercise than the so-called “Okko, the hostel and its ghosts”. The film puts more emphasis on the traditional and human side, showing Mayoiga as a place of healing, which helps the two girls to rediscover themselves and form a new family, the one they chose together with the old one who welcomed them. Here you can see the love and dedication the script has with its mostly female characters, resulting in exquisite drama.content, which could very well be measured with the style of Hirokazu Kore-eda or with that of Nobuhiro Suwa in the splendid ‘The telephone of the wind’.

Added to this is the fantastic bet, which can be considered almost an appendage to the film and which gives it that touch of family cinema that is missing in its first two parts. Although initially more shocking than other Yoshida scripts such as “Lu Over the Wall” or “Haru in the Cat Kingdom”, in which the fantasy quickly entered the scene; that doesn’t mean he doesn’t end up marrying the slow style of the film. It’s more, it gives it a dynamism that enriches the final result, becoming Kawatsura’s most complete cinematic proposal as a director and one of Yoshida’s most important works. after “A Silent Voice”, “Violet Evergarden: The Movie” and “Love is in the water”. Mention also for an exquisite, exquisite animation, of those that recalls the charm of the traditional style of anime and of which Studio Ghibli has been able to create a school, given the result of this film by David Productions Inc.

“The Haunted House in El Cabo” is one of those hidden gems that is a pleasure to discover and appreciated that it is distributed in Spain, although this has been limited to the national format and platforms. A delicious proposal cooked on a low heat to the delight of the spectators who love those stories that know how to combine the virtues of the small details of everyday life with the adventure of fantasy and the supernatural.

“The Haunted House on the Cape” is now available on DVD and Blu-ray, from the hand of Selecta Vision. Also available in streaming for rental or purchase on Google Play, Rakuten TV, Apple TV +, Amazon Prime Video and Movistar Plus +.

Note: 8

The best: Its split moments, the desire of its protagonists to excel, the attention to detail in animation.

Worse: The transition to the fantastic is a bit abrupt and it’s hard to get into a situation at first.