After her daughter's death, Miyabi becomes a call girl and moves in with her new boyfriend. One of her clients asks to take pictures of her body, which makes her feel her daughter's presence. As the client progresses to capturing only her eyes, this unique Japanese art-house film takes a culture-shocking turn.

New Religion, directed by Japanese rookie director KONDO Keishi, begins with an extension of J-horror that has already run its course and shows a new vision. Miyabi blames herself for her daughter's death and works as a call girl, sinking into shock and sorrow. While in despair, one day, she meets a client called Oka, who wants to take pictures of her backbone, making her feel change is coming. After taking pictures of her spine, he also suggests taking pictures of her feet and arms. What comes as a surprise is that whenever these pictures of her body are taken, she feels she is meeting her daughter's soul. Meanwhile, terrorism incidents involving young women occur in Japan around the same time. The dark shadow of Japanese society in films like Cure (1997) or Pulse (2001) by Kurosawa Kiyoshi or Tokyo subway sarin attack by Aum Shinrikyo Members looms in New Religion, which transforms an individual's abyss into a collective horror world. The red images of the scenes where Oka appears also leave an indelible impression. (MOON Seok)