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St. John's Wort

Name: St. John's Wort
Director: Ten Shimoyama
Released: 2001
Duration: 85 min

Representation Score

7.2/10

Good

2001

Director

Ten Shimoyama

Runtime

85 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

St. John's Wort functions as a psychological horror piece centered on women's ability to drive the story and fractured identity. The narrative follows Nami, an artist translating subconscious visions into digital media, which provides a moderate subversion of typical gendered horror clichés. While the film offers a non-Western perspective as a Japanese production, it lacks the specific markers or diverse ethnic groupings needed for a higher score. The themes of memory and identity are compelling but remain largely internal. Ultimately, the film occupies a neutral space. It avoids many patriarchal clichés by centering a woman's creative process, yet it lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or clear depictions of disability as a lived experience.

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Category Breakdown

Does St. John's Wort have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on the professional relationship between Nami and a game producer. There is no explicit depiction of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships.

How does St. John's Wort portray gender?

Fair

Nami serves as a central protagonist whose creative influence drives the plot. The story prioritizes her internal psychological landscape over traditional male-driven horror conflicts.

How racially and ethnically diverse is St. John's Wort?

Fair

As a Japanese production, the film establishes a non-Western cultural baseline. However, the narrative lacks specific details regarding the overlapping aspects of the cast's identities.

How does St. John's Wort represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story explores subjective reality and the instability of memory through dream logic. It avoids traditional moralities but lacks clear evidence of specific systemic critiques.

Does St. John's Wort include disability representation?

Fair

Nami experiences intrusive visions and potential dissociative states. It remains unclear if these neurodivergent-coded experiences are portrayed with real impact or used as supernatural devices.

Present on Screen

The film centers on a female protagonist with significant intellectual and creative influence.
The narrative prioritizes a non-Western, Japanese cultural baseline.
It explores complex psychological themes like identity and memory through a female lens.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or queer intimacy.
There is insufficient evidence of diverse ethnic overlapping identities within the cast.
Neurodivergent experiences are potentially used as supernatural plot devices rather than lived realities.

Official Synopsis

Nami has been creating artwork for a new video game based on images she's been seeing in her dreams. With one of the game producers, she travels out to an abandoned house that seems to match her visions. As they explore the old mansion, Nami begins to have more visions of a forgotten childhood, until at last she comes across a photo of twin infants, labelled "Nami" and "Naomi". As Nami and the producer go from room to room, an unseen person seems to be watching them from a hidden room.

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