Solitary and skilled photographer Kai is afraid of women. When he encounters a beautiful model, Kyoko, suffering from body dysmorphia, they begin a twisted romance. Kai is determined to save Kyoko from her anguishes, even if it means death to himself.

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Video Quality

Woman Of The Photographs makes its Blu-Ray debut with a pleasing 1080p video presentation that represents the image well. The transfer is clean with the deep, natural color palette popping off the screen, especially when it comes to nature. The film employs some striking colors when it comes to elements of the production design and certain lighting choices. The black levels do lack a bit of depth and show slight signs of crush and banding in a few shots. There are also minor compression artifacts present at points. The presentation shows off a strong amount of depth when out and about in the world. The production design along with the fabrics of clothing provide clear textural details. Flesh tones are natural with a grand amount of detail present in close-ups. There are a few areas where this disc could be improved, but overall this Blu-Ray brings the film to life quite well.

Audio Quality

Epic Pictures chooses to give this Blu-Ray a Dolby Digital 5.1 lossy audio track instead of a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track, which does sound quite good but could likely be given greater nuance with a lossless track. This disc is presented with its original Japanese audio with optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles. There are no standard English subtitles provided, which means if you want to watch the film with subtitles you will be subjected to descriptive text such as “gentle music plays” or “phone rings” alongside the normal dialogue.

Dialogue comes through clearly without being overshadowed by any competing sounds, although these characters are very reserved and quiet so it is not the most forthright element. The score is thematically resonant and well-balanced while maintaining its fidelity. There are not many aggressive moments, but a few moments come alive. Mainly, the low end of the track provides some nice texture to the proceedings. Environmental sounds of the world engage the surround speakers in an effective way. The audio track is pleasant enough, but it potentially could have been a more fulfilling experience with a full lossless track.

Special Features

Interviews with Cast and Crew: A 16-minute collection of interviews with writer/director Takeshi Kushida; actors Hideki Nagai and Itsuki Otaki; and special make-up artist Yoshihiro Nishimura in which they discuss the origins and inspirations of the project, the dynamics of the characters, creating the wounds in the movie, the themes of the film, how it relates to Japanese culture and more.

Short Film – Voice: A ten-minute short film is provided, but the credits are not translated into English so it is hard to identify who created it. There are some thematic connections with the feature film including the place of observation and art.

Trailers: This disc provides the “Original” Trailer (1:54) and the Dread Trailer (1:28). There are also trailers provided for other Dread titles including The Lake, Hot Blooded, Howling Village and Midnight.

Final Thoughts

Woman Of The Photographs is a bubbling cauldron of psychosexual intimacy and self-obsession. The way in which Takeshi Kushida explores the importance we place on our outward appearance and need for validation is harrowing and effective. The performances of the two main actors are perfectly suited for their characters, but the script lets them down slightly by positioning them in a dynamic that does not seem completely authentic or believable. That being said, there is more in the movie’s favor than not, and it is an effort well worth seeking out. Epic Pictures had released a Blu-Ray featuring a decent A/V presentation and a few cool special features. Recommended

Woman Of The Photographs is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Epic Pictures has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.