The Movie 'Sayuri', Febreze, and Ms. Shimako Iwai | My Movie Review as an AC/HSP

Hello! This is Yamane😊

The other day, I watched the horror movie 'Sayuri' on Netflix.

And it reminded me of the Febreze exorcism method. Also, I thought the stories by horror author Ms. Shimako Iwai were deeply relevant.

Despite being a horror movie, it was a work filled with positive messages about how to live without being dragged down by grudges.

Please be aware that there are spoilers below!

A rough summary of the movie 'Sayuri'

The story begins with a family moving into a new house.

The house they moved into is haunted by a vengeful spirit, and the family starts acting strange. Up to this point, it's a typical horror movie pattern, but the pace is unusually fast!

Around the middle of the movie, a tragedy that would normally happen at the climax occurs, and most of the family meets a tragic end.

And from here, it feels like the main part of the story begins, and the development suddenly changes.

The surviving family members are the protagonist, the eldest son Norio, and Grandma.

Then, the two who are left rise up, and the second half of the movie 'Sayuri' involves them confronting the vengeful spirit using the same logic as the Febreze exorcism method!

What is the Febreze exorcism method?

A classic exorcism method that used to be popular online

I like not only horror movies but also scary stories, so I used to look up scary stories on nights when I couldn't sleep. In the end, it just made me even less able to sleep.

So, I think I know quite a few famous scary stories from the internet.

One of the classic exorcism methods found there is the one using Febreze.

Details of the Febreze ritual

Febreze itself is a spray for cleaning the air, but this 'exorcism ritual' is quite unique.

My memory is a bit hazy, but I recall it involved exposing one's buttocks, slapping them repeatedly with one's hands, and shouting 'Surprisingly Febreze' over and over (my apologies if I'm mistaken, haha).

The goal of this ritual was to shatter the negative spiritual energy and the dark atmosphere created by spirits.
It was about taking control of the atmosphere by unleashing the overwhelming brightness and ridiculous energy of the living.

That's why I remember being told that one had to overcome the fear of the spirit and the embarrassment of acting so strangely, and instead slap one's buttocks with all one's might while shouting 'Surprisingly Febreze' with single-minded focus.

The only tool required is Febreze.
It looks simple at first glance, but it's actually a quite difficult exorcism method that you can't perform unless you've reached a certain level of mental transcendence...

The strategy of the protagonists in the movie 'Sayuri'

Norio, the protagonist, and his grandmother, whose family was killed by the vengeful spirit Sayuri.

The grandmother undergoes a radical change immediately after the tragedy strikes the family.

She had been frail until then, but amidst the devastation, she stood tall and awakened, saying, 'I have completely woken up now.'

And then, she shouts to Norio, 'It's time for revenge!'

From there, under the guidance of the grandmother, who was a former Tai Chi instructor, they focus on the idea that vitality is essential to overcome a vengeful spirit. They practice Tai Chi, get plenty of sleep, eat hearty meals, and do everything they can to build up their physical strength.

It's more like a sports drama than a horror movie, haha.

Furthermore, when the vengeful spirit Sayuri appears, they counter her by saying 'the most vulgar thing they have,' using the same principle as the Febreze exorcism: clearing away the dark, deathly atmosphere surrounding the spirit with the power of life (or perhaps sexuality?).

A story about horror writer Shimako Iwai

Watching this movie reminded me of one more thing.

It's about the horror writer Shimako Iwai, who once said that scary stories and erotic stories don't hurt anyone and everyone likes them, so knowing many of them is useful in social settings.

Both scary stories and erotic stories have a way of breaking through existing order, and they have the power to entertain people.

And since she is a horror writer, she knows countless scary stories, but she says she herself has no psychic abilities.

Perhaps the reason she can remain unaffected while pursuing such scary things is that Shimako Iwai naturally wards off such grudges with the power of life (or perhaps sexuality... haha).

She seemed like someone who embodies the mindset of the grandmother in 'Sayuri'.

Conclusion

I think the tactics used in the movie 'Sayuri' could actually be applied in all sorts of situations.

This applies not only to those who have become vengeful spirits like Sayuri, but also to those who continue to carry suffering in their hearts that they couldn't do anything about on their own, those who feel it's difficult to live in modern society, and times when you feel crushed by anxiety due to the recent unstable social climate, and so on.

But even at such times, as the grandmother says, we must 'eat well, sleep well, and live well'.

By doing so, it might be important to 'thicken your life' and face things head-on.

This is a recommended film for when you want to cheer yourself up.😄

📚 Introduction to Related Articles

I have written various other articles about movies and dramas as well!