EST N8
We have all been there at some point in our lives and that imaginary friend was also our bestie. Usually these contacts were harmless and were as innocent as our younger self. But when we grow up, darker impulses can manifest, and the ideas Writer-director Masaki Nishiyama thoughtfully explores in The Invisible Half delivers quite the supernatural scare! Here, Elena (Lisa Siera) becomes a victim, or perhaps is a case study! As a girl of mixed Japanese and British heritage, people ignore her and regularly bully her at school. If that is not enough, something appears that can only be seen through a smartphone camera.
At this point, I could not help but think this movie might have been made for the found footage crowd, except the story unfolds in the third person rather than the first. That would be an original approach, but for now, the film focuses more on a central question: what is reality?
Thankfully, this teen is not alone. She makes a new friend, Akari (Miyu Okuno), who proves helpful rather than a hindrance. Then there is Nyan (Runa Hirasawa), who seems defiant toward her teachers but actually knows something they do not. She wears earbuds, presumably listening to music, and insists on never taking them off. While some people might assume it is a hearing aid, they may think twice after seeing this film.
I do not really see this movie as a critique of technology simply because the monster is visible only through a smartphone camera. The film never makes clear whether other devices can see it too. If it answered that question, I blinked and missed it.
This film takes its time building interest in these characters. I found myself more invested in Nyan’s plight, especially because she depends on that noise maker. When she grows distressed over her missing iPhone, it is because the other two girls took it. Just when they think they can get away with it, the story finally triggers the supernatural terror that later manifests. The first third offers only a few hints, but the remainder delivers some interesting, tense, and chilly moments. Many arrive through extended silence, where uncertainty hangs over every frame. The film strips away dialogue and relies on visuals to convey the dread waiting around the corner. To me, that is the sign of a strong director.
As for whether Nishiyama stayed involved during the editing process, no published material confirms it one way or the other. That responsibility usually falls to the editor, who works from the footage and storyboard to make sure every necessary shot lands in place. If Nishiyama did take part, he may have needed to spend more time on a few sequences. The intro could have been tighter, and the rising action could have used a little more room to breathe. The long silent sequences often say enough on their own, and those are the moments where I had to stay eagle-eyed, looking for shifting shadows and wondering whether someone was really there.
Ultimately, this is a hefty film that goes beyond a simple story about things that go bump in the night and only cameras can see them. For viewers willing to read between the lines, there is no comfort in being glued to a smartphone at all hours. When that device becomes a looking glass into each person’s soul, it may reveal what someone could become, or what they should never become. I do not want to spoil the intended commentary, but for anyone who understands what Stephen King’s Carrie is really about, this film feels like a worthy successor. They explore different aspects of the human psyche, but the divide between what gets internalized and what erupts outward makes the horror all the more dreadful.
3 Stars out of 5
The Invisible Half Trailer
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