Risky psychodramatic noir that affords the luxury of playing cards superbly with the spectator's expectations (as is, between bluff and immediately an ace, bluff and aces, bluff and aces), subjecting it to a twisted process of retracting the possible motives or the benefit of the doubt of the serial killer Yamato Haimura regarding the innocence of only one of the 23 victims; The young Ma Say a is the pedagogical coronation of the tired murderer who needs redemption in successors of his nameless crimes, that's why Kazuya dismantles the myths of the sociopath, beats up the stereotype of the serial criminal-Pavlov, you know, the simplification of the psychopath whose " "stimulus" from the past -violent or unfortunate childhood- make him want a ruthless and sordid "response" in the form of a cunning murderer; instead, Yamato admits not knowing why he is sadistic, but also add the social representations of S. Moscovici, it turns out that there is a clear interest in this confessed murderer for the pedagogy of potentially evil children, violent or cruel infants who he has within reach and those he understands, so Yamato's common sense - sick, if you will - is flammable to institutions like the family in correspondence with Mrs. Kirie's Home for Children with Discipline Problems where he worked and encouraged, and he fueled the confrontational and fighting tendencies in the 10-year-old children under his charge, up to the point of flogging between brothers; in fact, Ma Saya himself, too late -but no more so than for the viewer of the film-, will learn that he himself, like Itsuki Kanayama, has been "educated" and manipulated by years of affection for Yamato, not only since he he does the whole investigation again, following the arrest of the asshole, but almost beating the stranger he bumped into on the street to death, not to mention the ending seeing Akari Kano's beautiful nails; Yamato, as if they were his children, almost orgasmically enjoys the teaching of cruelty in his pupils, this is clearly disturbing; That's why from the start, isn't it easier to think that someone wanted to incriminate the perfect murderer, so that Yamato Haimura would be discovered despite the impeccability of his modus operandi? Or why would a competent authority assume that the corpse of 26-year-old Kaoru Nezu -found in plain sight on the defendant's property- is the work of the same criminal who has cajoled, tortured, burned, and buried in his garden the other 23? Victims? I mean, why would the serial killer betray himself by breaking his own pattern of order, almost giving himself away? Unless whoever tortured with germs of mud and moisture, and killed Kaoru with the obvious phobia of bacteria and fungus, was nothing but someone from Yamato's past, that is, a putative son before whom the king abdicates his crown. Sadist, Itsuki; incidentally, in which Eriko, Ma Saya's current mother, is the girlfriend of the murderer and thus, while the plot bluffs about the possibility that the murderer is Ma Saya's father, he hides the letter about the didactics of the pain and the acceptance of cruelty as something natural and inherent in Itsuki and his brother whom he hurt encouraged by the tutor at that time, Yamato. I insist, the open ending, without knowing whether or not he will become a putative son of Yamato, due to the reference to Akari's nails, is the icing on the cake and in any case confirms that the bad guys won, Yamato. Postscript, this disturbing film is too well made, like it was made by someone who has been watching and making movies for at least 40 years. Kazuya Shiraishi has a job, I hope he doesn't waste it.
Review of Lesson in Murder
Lesson in Murder
(2022)
The murderer abdicates his sadism, redeeming himself in the pedagogy of his crimes
14 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers