Japanese Film Festival: Masquerade Hotel

Masayuri Suzuki’s Masquerade Hotel is a crucible filled with the plethora of essences poured from murder thrillers of our time. Based upon Keigo Higashino’s book of the same name, this film focuses on the beautiful Hotel Cortesia, its contribution as a potential murder location, and the eccentric visitors that flow through their doors. Its metaphoric title alludes to each guest, and the invisible masks they flaunt, therefore cultivating the figurative masquerade.

A hotel built upon high standards, Cortesia is a place where the wealthy come to hide from prying eyes, and forget their troubles. At the head of its team is the incredibly meticulous and ambitions, Naomi Yamagishi (Nagasawa), who knows to ‘never take a chance on [their] guests’. However, when Cortesia becomes the next location in a strange line of serial killings, Naomi is thrust in a world of frustration when she is forced to be paired with the shrewd, but hospitality-challenged Detective Kosuke Nitta (Kimura). Despite their clear disregard for each other’s attitudes, they eventually come to a truce, and decide to work together to solve the case.

Overall, Masquerade Hotel provides a relatively enjoyable experience. This film ticks all the boxes when it comes to the mystery-detective genre, providing a substantial scope with building tension and stirring steady interest. As each suspect is introduced, I found myself clenching my toes, and itching my palms with the sudden intensity of each scenario. The slow graduation of clues, the revelation of identities, along with the complexity of misdirection all seem to flow as one stream within its walls. 

One of the main benefactors to the rise of the film’s atmosphere is the amazing soundtrack. The main theme that’s laced throughout the majority of the movie could bring Prokofiev’s ‘Dance of the Knights’ to shame, and emphasises the grandeur of Hotel Cortesia. The prominent orchestral pieces consistently highlight its recurring elements, and could immediately throw viewers into varying tonal shifts.

Although the storyline had enough twists and turns to keep it captivating, Masquerade Hotel might not be considered a ‘true’ thriller for some viewers. The main issue was the level of comical banter injected throughout, which would often jostled its dark and alluring aesthetic. Alongside this matter was simply: predictability. Maybe it was the language barrier or simply the portrayal of characters, but the climactic pivot was a pitfall in relation to everything else. However, despite this minor flaw, stagnant moments were rare, and audiences were provided consistent storytelling throughout 132 minute its runtime. 

Fans of the subtle and gentle should stray clear from Masquerade Hotel. An astute film of epic notions and massive piano swells, this film is sure to delight those who love an extra touch. Despite the movie’s minor shortcomings, this film has all the bells and whistles to draw general viewers into its pit of scandals.

Japanese Film Festival
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