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Tomie
Movie

Tomie

1998 • Unknown

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

Following some trauma in her past that has since been repressed, a young woman is trying to recover her memories with the help of a psychiatrist. During her hypnosis sessions, she repeats the name "Tomie" but is unable to recall where she knows it from. Meanwhile, a police detective is investigating a string of brutal murders, where he also runs across the name "Tomie." How are the two connected?

Overall Series Review

Tomie is a 1998 Japanese psychological horror film that centers on the mysterious, seductive high school girl Tomie Kawakami, an entity whose allure drives men to obsessive madness, murder, and dismemberment, a cycle that she survives through her supernatural regenerative abilities. The plot follows a young woman, Tsukiko, who is undergoing hypnotherapy for amnesia and repressed trauma, which links her to a mass hysteria event and the murder of her classmate, Tomie. A police detective investigates the case, discovering a long history of identical murders and suicides stretching back over a century, all connected to a girl named Tomie. The movie operates as an atmospheric, character-driven slow-burn that explores themes of destructive desire, intense jealousy, and the terrifying nature of an immortal, monstrous-feminine force. The conflict is a timeless battle against a supernatural entity that exploits human weakness and obsession, not a commentary on contemporary social politics.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

The movie is a Japanese production set in Japan, with an entirely Japanese cast. The narrative focus is on supernatural horror, personal trauma, and the corrosive effects of obsession. Race and 'whiteness' are not a part of the conflict, and there is no attempt to force diversity or use an intersectional lens.

Oikophobia1/10

The film focuses on a localized, internal horror tied to a supernatural entity within Japanese society. There is no critique, hostility, or lecturing aimed at 'Western civilization,' 'one's own home' (Japan), or ancestors. The film is rooted in genre tropes of J-Horror.

Feminism3/10

Tomie, the central figure, is a destructive female entity, a succubus-like monster, rather than a positive 'Girl Boss' model. She is not a 'Mary Sue,' as her perfection causes her own repeated brutal murder. Men are consistently depicted as easily manipulated and driven to insanity and murder by her supernatural allure, which suggests a degree of male incompetence in the face of feminine power. However, this dynamic is driven by a monster's curse, not a modern political argument, keeping the score moderate.

LGBTQ+2/10

The primary dynamic is the supernatural seduction of men and the resulting, intense jealousy in women. The narrative adheres to a normative structure, centering on male-female pairing and a love-triangle dynamic, even if that dynamic leads to madness and death. There is no overt focus on sexual ideology, gender theory, or the deconstruction of the nuclear family.

Anti-Theism1/10

The core conflict is supernatural horror, mystery, and psychology. The film does not contain any anti-Christian rhetoric or commentary on traditional religion. The horror is metaphysical and focused on the destructive nature of obsession and immortality, not an attack on faith or objective morality.