Yusuke Yamada’s horror novel gets the film treatment but it is a bland retelling.
Takeshi (Miyake) is haunted by a troubling memory. When he was a child he and his friends played a “game” which, legend has it, can transport a person to a room with a ghost missing a thumb. If you find the thumb you can have a wish granted. If someone taps you on the shoulder you must not turn around or you will be trapped in that room forever. Takeshi’s friend Yumiko (Ono) who was unhappy at home and never returned from the game. At an elementary school reunion Takeshi is reunited with his friends Chie (Ito), Tomohiko (Matsuyama), Aya (Nagai), and Nobuhisa (Onoue). They too are troubled with guilt like Takeshi but for different reasons because Takeshi believes the game actually worked and he was transported to the room and heard Yumiko scream and did nothing to save her whereas his friends believe that Yumiko merely ran away from home. In order to soothe Takeshi’s troubled mind the friends replay the game. But nothing happens. Not that this convinces Takeshi and he continues to investigate the game just as his friends start to disappear.
Oyayubi Sagashi – a rough translation might be search for the thumb. Uninspiring, right? Well everything about this film struck me as bland and inoffensive due to lacklustre delivery.
Genkinahito 