Gukoroku or Traces of Sin is a film directed by Ishikawa Kei and written originally by Nukui Tokuro as a Novel in 2006. Mukai Kosuke rewrote the story for film format. Two of Japan's top entertainment icons: Tsumabaki Satoshi and Mitsushima Hikari star with Koide Keisuke, Usuda Asami, Ishikawa Yui, Matsumoto Wakana, and, Nakamura Tomoya as an all star cast for the film. Gukoroku was received well by Japan and at film festivals aboard.
A reporter works to find answers to an unsolved murder case that left a whole a family murdered in their house. He begins looking for clues by asking people who had ties to the family before their deaths.
This film is basically a detective film that strings the pieces of what happened together one piece at a time. Gukoroku isn't the type of film that wants the viewer to guess who did the killing. Instead, the film's focus is the darkness inside someone that would cause them to do the act of sin. There's quite a few backstories that you will have to sit through and watch. These stories are setup in the form of flashbacks told by people related to the victims. The viewer will find that there's always two sides to every story like always but this film creeps in the shadows while it's plot progresses. Sub plots interweave into each other then untangle causing you to actually want to know the deeper most inner thoughts of the characters. The different viewpoint that are shown through storytelling makes the plot development more intense after leaving viewers wanting more. It's not very hard to figure out who did the killing while watching Gukoroku. In fact, writers throws viewers a bone to distract them from the real shocker that creeps in the dark. Little hints are presented in the film for you to catch but the plot twist still will hit you hard. Overall, Traces of Sin is a nice addition to the thriller mystery genre. I'm a big fan of Japanese fictional stories such as Devotion of Suspect X from the Galileo series which is what this film reminds me of. The "who done it?" is never as important as the questions, "Why?" and "How?".
I already knew that everyone in the cast would turn this film into a hell of a ride. Everyone casted has serious talent. Especially Satoshi, being that he has proven for years that he has versatility in his acting roles. He can play almost an role with a sense of control. Seeing him in this film was a treat but he couldn't have made the role speak volumes unless he had an actress like Hikari. She was the Bonnie to his Clyde. His much needed cherry on top of a ice cream sundae. I had not doubt that she would do will acting with him considering that her role in the drama Quartet is still fresh in my mind. Both characters she played are a bit whacked out in a unsettling way so I don't doubt her talent to deliver. Keisuke was another actor that I look out for. He was as good here as he was in Testimony of N and Strawberry Night. Each actor/actress plays a role that hides a deep dark psychopath traits inside a person. Watching Gukoroku made me think about people who hide their dirty agendas very well from others. Those types of people can be some of the most scariest people in this world. Even more scary than the people who let you know that they plan to do you dirty. At least with them, you have a warning to try and avoid them.
Some of the effects used as symbolism was unnerving to the point that I was checking to see if the film was a horror film or not. Another thing I want to talk about was the soundtrack. I hardly ever mention the soundtrack unless it makes an impact on my experience watching the film. Gukoroku's soundtrack sets the mood for the film's theme perfectly. You wonder what the hell you stumbled into when the first scene of the film shows on screen with a classical score of a group of violins playing violently. Much of the film is pretty dark as can be seen by the shots done on cloudy days as well as some of the harsh lighting. It all added a boost to the film's charm though.
Traces of Sin was a good film. I would recommend this film to fans of Japanese cinema who wants a film that lands outside of the box a bit. The cast filling in the shoes of all the characters is truly the best quality about Gukoroku.
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