Ringu by Nakata maintains, even today, all its visual and expressive power; Sadako's curse does not lose its strength in a world, our contemporary one, dominated by social media and where a click is enough to watch on video but rather acquires greater power, her curse is infinite, in the film she needs a physical copy of a box to expand, today this curse would be even more devastating.

The film begins with images of the dark sea, "in the brackish water the spirits celebrate", then from the television image of the baseball game it moves on to frame the two girls and in fact Sadako's curse is already anticipated here as we move from the television image to the real world just as Sadako acts.

The staging, the photography, creates dark atmospheres and disturbing, the interiors of the houses have a moldy yellow color with omnipresent touches of black in the scenography also through the objects present on the scene which always give a sinister sensation to the story.

There is no shortage of bluish hints which recall the water, therefore the well, it is no coincidence that the first girl victim of the film wears a teal-colored shirt or in any case in "aquatic" shades.
Ringu is also a film of reflected images, the characters involved in the story will see their image reflected in the turned off TV; from this point of view, Yoichi, son of Reiko and Ryuji, now a former couple as they are divorced, is framed from behind as he stares at the turned off TV and, turning around, we notice his reflection which already indicates his connection with the spiritual world.

The search on the part of Reiko and Ryuji it is handled very well, the tone is always dark and the atmosphere always remains disturbing, Nakata always frames the (ex)couple together in the same shot, he does not opt ​​for shots and reverse shots, he often frames them through the walls of the rooms or even more conspicuously during the boat trip where their enclosure is even more conspicuous and market.

This is both to give the sensation of their newfound closeness but also, above all, to give a sensation of "Entrapment" of imprisonment as they are both subject to Sadako's curses and the search for the story of the girl from the well.

It is interesting how this newfound closeness of the couple actually distances the two parents even further by her son Yoichi, at the mercy of the ghosts, "he is used to being alone" says Reiko, in fact the work distracts the mother's attention from the son and subsequently the research, the investigation will not make both of them realize how Yoichi, in the grip of to the ghosts, he will come into contact with the curse.

The sequence that takes Yoichi to see the tape is magnificent, ghostly tones, Reiko looking at the bed, having visions and then the door opens with Yoichi, again framed from behind, while watching the video recording.

There will be many shots from above both on Yoichi but also on Reiko for example which effectively places them as "observed" or subject to this otherworldly entity.< 1>

The reason for Sadako's eternal revenge is socio-political as her mother Shizuku was not recognized for her ability, a quality and was even labeled a charlatan. Therefore a purely male environment does not recognize the uniqueness, an out of the ordinary characteristic of a woman, effectively denigrating her, a message that is still very strong and current, today we will talk about how some boomers started a lynching, so her daughter Sadako will unleash the his eternal hatred on society.

The ending is magnificent, the sequence on the well with time passing and the couple trying to destroy the curse is well paced, the emergence of Sadako's hair followed by the skull with that greenish fluid that comes out of the eyes like crying is great, Reiko embracing Sadako and the curse that seems overcome.

The truth, however, that Nakata poses is more terrifying than that, it is not the goodness of the soul of Nakata, the consular Sadako saves her but it is having created the copy and having shown, therefore divulging the tape, the curse that saves her life.

Sadako's revenge is eternal as the ending indicates , the machine driven by Reiko that continues towards infinity.

Nakata's direction is excellent in many aspects, the management of the environments and spaces, the ability to create atmosphere and tension without jump scares and truly creating mystery.

Sadako's face is not framed, her long hair masks her vision and above all the film does not play at all on the ghost's apparitions but, as written, plays more with the reflections.

The first death shown in the film does not show Sadako, Nakata knows how to create a sense of anticipation and mystery, the black and white still image of the victim is disturbing.

In the finale, when yes, there will be the sequence where Sadako comes out of the TV and will show his eye is terrifying.

An atmospheric horror that does not play on quick appearances, on the overexposure of its villain but which is disturbing for this very reason and which has a lot to say in its sub-texts -politicians.

Even the fact that after you watch the tape your image is "corrupted" is very illustrative of the film.

Nakata's solution to survive is terrifying as it is fuel the curse itself in a world full of distortions.

Wonderful film and which will in fact give impetus to the Asian horror wave with the ghosts of the 2000s.