Movies - Sleeping Bride

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	Movies - Sleeping Bride

Sleeping Bride is a 2000 tragic-romance film directed by Hideo Nakata and based on a comic by Osamu Tezuka. It is probably best known in Western Audiences as being included in a Tartan Asia Extreme DVD release of the Ring "Trilogy", which curiously included a fourth movie which bore no relation to the Ring other than the director.

Plot

On March 13, 1954, a passenger plane crashes in Japan, killing all but one passenger: a woman who is nine months pregnant. Ultimately she dies in a hospital, but her unborn daughter is saved. However, for a reason inexplicable by the science of the day, the daughter (named Yumi) does not wake up and is essentially in a comatose state. Her wealthy father has her placed in a hospital where she will be cared for indefinitely (and also offers a reward to anyone who can wake her), while he vanishes in search of a cure to her condition.

Seven years later (March 25, 1961) Yuichi (a boy who is roughly seven himself) is admitted to the same hospital (with asthma) and discovers Yumi. After being told of her condition and then reading the story of Sleeping Beauty, he resolves to awaken Yumi by kissing her. Stating "Wake Up, I'm the Princess", he kisses her on the lips, to no avail, but is undeterred. He makes a routine of this, even after he leaves the hospital, repeating the same line and kissing her. Although a nurse finds this "cute" and lets him continue, when Doctor Hikawa discovers his actions, he rudely ejects Yuichi from the hospital. (He seems infuriated that Yuichi believes that he can awaken the girl, whom he himself could not awaken with all the powers of medical science.)

For the next ten years Yuichi does not visit the hospital at all, until one day (February 14, 1972) he sees a new report on Yumi who, after 17 years (in total), has still never awoken. Overcome by the memories of his childhood, Yuichi returns to the hospital, and although initially thwarted by a new (apparently American) nurse (also discovering that the kind nurse who cared for him has left the hospital), he eventually resumes his ten year old routine (with similarly little results, although more genuine emotion). Doctor Hikawa – now a Director of the Hospital – gradually becomes aware of his actions.

After Yuichi accidentally kisses a girl at school (part of an elaborate setup on the part of his friends) he rushes to the hospital (it would appear he considered it an act of infidelity) despite the rain and late time (around midnight), and passionately kisses Yumi. He does not use the "Wake Up, I'm the Prince" line, but instead begs her (apparently in his thoughts), stating "I'm no prince, I'm Yuichi Nasagawa, but please wake up, I want to talk to you." Though it would appear to have no effect at first, as Yuichi is leaving he notices some movement, and then he realises that Yumi has indeed awoken.

Promptly, the silent Yumi is besieged my a team of Doctors and Nurses who start to run series of tests, essentially ignoring and shutting out Yuichi. Yuichi, seeing that Yumi has been revived only to become some sort of human guinea pig, abducts her. Although Yumi has the mentality of a baby (even lacking the ability to walk or talk) they have a mutually enjoyable time together, until Yumi is reminded* of the crash-site in which her mother died, and is returned to the hospital by orderlies.

Yumi is seen in bed, at night, with her eyes open; Yumi does not sleep at all anymore.

The next day (the "second day" that Yumi is awake), Yumi has advanced to the mentality of a young child, able to speak and read, and also an amazing talent for photo-realistic art, as she draws the image of her father. Yuichi returns after school and is immediately recognised by Yumi. They (this time by mutual consent, and accompanied by orderlies) walk outside in the grounds of the hospital. Upon sighting a bus (which Yumi seems to want to ride) Yuichi decides to give the orderlies (who have the air of cartoon comic-relief thugs to them) the slip, and does so successfully. They have an enjoyable "date" together (although Yumi is still only capable of conversing in simple terms).

By the third day Yumi has been discovered by the media and is being paraded all over for the press. Yuichi, Yuichi's nurse (who retired), and Yumi's father all witness the report on TV. Yuichi, once more, decides of his own accord that this is not "right" (although unlike when she was being tested, Yumi can clearly be seen to be distressed by many of the questions about her own genesis) and abducts Yumi once more. By this time Yumi has acquired the vocal and cognitive abilities approximately the same as other girls her age.

Yumi and Yuichi have their first conversation as intellectual equals. Yumi asks several philosophical questions about life and death. She declares that she only has two more days left before she falls asleep again (she gives no explanation as to how she acquired this knowledge, but she simply has it). Overall, she only has five days to be awake. She goes on to inquire about a strange emotion she has when she thinks of someone. After hearing the description, Yuichi explains the emotion is probably love. Yumi declares that, therefore, she is in love with Doctor Hikawa, shattering Yuichi.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Sleeping Bride ]

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