Tag - A High School Splatter Film

Tag is not for everyone - it's a film that is made for fans of Asian cinema who want a good experience. Yet I think it's an experience even for someone who doesn't like Japanese films very much. It's not just about the violence, but it's about the overall experience of the protagonist and the scenes she has to go through. It's intense in that way, very intense indeed, and it can make the viewer think a little deeper about the meaning of what's going on. (19.02.2018)

Sion Sono is an oddball for me, I've rated most of his films three stars and below, Cold Fish being the exception, and I have to commend him for Tag as well. There is a noticeably higher budget, better quality cinematography, no ugly and cheap looking digital shots that are quite common and normal in Japanese productions here thankfully, only the story is too confusing. For a whole hour we have no idea what we are in for and Sono manages to constantly shock us with unexpected brutal attacks (a calm situation turns into a brutal massacre with lots of dead people in a second), and the gore, though practical/digital, is so yummy in places and there’s plenty of it! The downside for were the questions left unanswered, and for a film that paces 60 minutes nicely, the last 20 minutes are quite stagnant. But Tag is still a very decent, original, dreamlike, brutal allegory. 75%. (24.11.2015)