Almost as difficult to write about, as to watch, this harrowing film is a nightmare from start to finish. Single mother, Kotoko is played by Cocco, who we understand co-wrote the film basing it on her own experiences. Some experiences they must have been, too, if this is to be believed. For some considerable stretch she is struggling inside and out the house carrying, awkwardly, her screaming child. The next phase seems to involve real or imagined violence upon this child. All the time the camera, our viewpoint, is skewed and uneven as the sound around deafens. And all the time the lead lady is self harming, in a big way. As if this were not enough the film's director and co-writer also appears and attempts a relationship with this ongoing nightmare, crazy lady. Uncompromising, as ever, this is quite different from Tsukamoto's other work but then I guess that remarkably they are all quite distinctive with just the one thing in common that makes them his own and makes them so difficult to watch. This is raw and desperate humanity desperately trying to maintain the slenderest grip on something the least bit tolerable in the face of rampant madness.

It's an uneasy film to watch it starts off quite shaky and gets worse as her sanity drops and the film gets very intense when it builds back up the shakiness is gone. Then everything seems pleasant and happy it has quite surreal elements and dream like scenes I wasn't a fan of the constant singing but its important to the character that she sings. There is some uneasy imagery during the breakdown sequences that will stay with you but the movie has a relieving conclusion not the happiest but the best possible outcome. The acting is top notch and you really feel for the character and her family. I didn't understand some things so I may need to re-watch not your average tsukamoto film but definitely a good drama about a devoted mother with a dissociative disorder.

With all the praise and good reviews I had encountered for this movie, I was sort of excited and hyped up to actually get to watch it. And it was with a certain amount of excitement when it finally arrived from Amazon and I popped it into the DVD player.And now having seen "Kotoko", I sit here somewhat disillusioned. On one hand, the movie was rather good and enjoyable, but at the same time it was a disappointment and a lousy experience.Let's start with the good parts there is to the movie. The acting in the movie was quite good, especially the performance put on by Cocco (playing Kotoko). She really impressed me greatly in this movie, and her portrayal of a woman with these deeply rooted problems and issues was really moving and impressive. And she really carried the movie on her shoulders so nicely.The story itself is also one of the better parts of the movie, as it is a story that is deeply disturbing, but also a magnificent journey into the downward spiralling psyche of a woman with debilitating mental problems.That being said, then it should also be said that the movie is severely flawed and dragged down by some questionable and shoddy camera work. Throughout great parts of the movie, the camera was shaking and all over the place. Yeah, it did add an element of confusion and incoherency to heighten Kotoko's distorted view of the world around her. But for us in the audience, it was a nuisance and a moment of irritation. I don't pay money to watch a movie shot in a way that makes it look like something I could do myself with my own hand-held camera.The movie has some really beautiful moments, just as it does have some really disturbing and painful moments. There are some rather graphic images and visuals that may not be suitable for every one in the audience, and thus the 18 years of age label on the cover. But still, there are some issues in the movie that does raise eyebrows."Kotoko" is a beautiful and yet ugly movie at the same time. But it just doesn't really manage to stand out in the Japanese market of movies, and as hard as director Shin'ya Tsukamoto tries, then Takashi Miike has done something fairly similar, just pulled off in a better way.If you enjoy movies that deal with the problems of the human psyche and the downward spiral of mental stability, then you might want to check out "Kotoko". It should be chiseled out once again, that Cocco was really the one making this movie watchable.I am rating "Kotoko" a 6 out of 10, mostly because of Cocco's performance, but also because the movie does have some strong, solid moments. But in overall, it just didn't manage to fully stand out on its own from many other movies on the market.

I'm not usually one to be bothered by 'shaky cam' in say Blair Witch Project or Troll Hunter, but here the camera is constantly moving and shaking for the entire 90 minutes, rendering the film almost unwatchable, I had a headache at the end.Even ignoring this, the movie is no great shakes, it's well acted, it's suitably unpleasant and there are moments of grim humour I laughed at; but the narrative is wafer thin and a lot of the movie really is nothing Takashi Miike hasn't done better half a dozen times before.Anyway all I really wanted to say, if you dislike 'shaky cam' avoid this movie like the plague, it will make your head hurt.