The Invisible Half is an atmospheric J-horror tale

Lisa Siera as Elena in The Invisible Half - courtesy of EST N8

Writer/director Masaki Nishiyama's feature film debut, The Invisible Half, is an atmospheric J-horror entry with some creepy visuals and an interesting concept. Elena (Lisa Siera), a "half Japanese girl is bullied at school over her identity. That's the least of her problems, however. She discovers she's being watched by a monster that can only be seen through her smartphone and heard through her earphones. While the film struggles at times with its pacing, there's more here to like than not.

Elena attends an all-girls school, and most of her classmates are anything but nice. They harass her, and her ostracization is apparent from the start. She's a timid and shy student and rightfully so. From the first scene, Nishiyama evokes a sense of dread that lingers throughout the runtime, exacerbated once Elena realizes she's constantly followed by a monster that she can only see and hear through technology. The film strikes the right atmosphere and tone, enhanced by the color and lighting. These are some of the film's strong points, along with Siera's compelling performance as the lead. She's really quite good in the role.

Another highlight is the friendship Elena develops with Akari (Miyu Okuno). This feels like an authentic and genuine relationship, and it's fun to see Akari help Elena slowly slip out of her shell and gradually become more outgoing. Of course, like any high school students, they do face obstacles, but this is a nice counterweight to the constant fear that Elena feels, due to the monster and her classmates.

The monster itself is first seen in glimpses, a shadowy figure in the hallway, an outline of a head on Elena's phone, a mysterious creature that's there and suddenly no longer present. Yet, as the narrative creeps forward, the monster comes into fuller view, and it looks quite frightful with its head wrapped in bandages. It's also catalyst for the film to explore identity. That said, I thought this theme could have been addressed much more. It feels a bit too underdeveloped.

The film's other main flaw is its pacing. The first act especially feels incredibly slow. The cattiness among the students also grows tiresome. We've seen this high school drama and meanness in countless other films before. The last act is quite good, but it takes too long to get there. The feature could have benefited from some slightly tighter editing and quicker pacing, at least in its first half.

The Invisible Half contains a great atmosphere, tone, and mood. It's visually rich and includes an array of haunting visuals. However, the film struggles with its pacing and oddly doesn't explore the theme of identity quite enough. That said, it's a solid first feature from  Nishiyama and a frightful J-horror entry.