Dark Water (2002) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A mother confronting supernatural abandonment sacrifices herself so her daughter can survive and remain protected.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

A Fragile New Home

Yoshimi attempts to rebuild her life during divorce and a custody dispute. She moves into a rundown apartment, starts work, and confronts a worsening ceiling leak.

Key Events

• Divorce And Custody Crisis — Yoshimi faces divorce proceedings and a custody battle with Kunio over their daughter. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Kunio Hamada Location: Family court context
• Moving Into The Apartment — Yoshimi rents a rundown apartment while rebuilding her life. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara Location: Rundown apartment
• New School And Job — Yoshimi enrolls her daughter in kindergarten and starts work as a proofreader. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara Location: Kindergarten and publishing company
• The Ceiling Begins Leaking — Water begins leaking through the apartment ceiling, and Yoshimi complains to Kamiya. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Kamiya Location: Yoshimi's apartment

The Returning Schoolbag

Strange events spread through the apartment complex, including a red schoolbag that repeatedly returns. Yoshimi also glimpses a mysterious girl and relives childhood abandonment.

Key Events

• The Red Schoolbag Returns — A child's red schoolbag repeatedly reappears after Yoshimi tries to dispose of it. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara Location: Apartment complex
• The Mysterious Girl Appears — Yoshimi catches glimpses of a mysterious little girl around the complex. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Apartment complex
• Abandonment Memories Resurface — The strange incidents trigger memories of Yoshimi being abandoned at kindergarten as a child. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara Location: Yoshimi's memories
• Missed School Pickups — Yoshimi is repeatedly late for pickups while Kunio's attempts to take their daughter increase her stress. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Kunio Hamada Location: Kindergarten

The Missing Girl Above

Yoshimi learns about Mitsuko Kawai and connects the missing child to the abandoned unit above her apartment. A flooding incident makes the haunting more immediate.

Key Events

• Missed School Pickups — Yoshimi is repeatedly late for pickups while Kunio's attempts to take their daughter increase her stress. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Kunio Hamada Location: Kindergarten
• Mitsuko's Missing Poster — Yoshimi identifies the mysterious girl through Mitsuko's missing-person photo. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Apartment complex
• The Abandoned Upstairs Unit — Yoshimi discovers that Mitsuko used to live in the abandoned unit directly above her. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Abandoned unit above Yoshimi's apartment
• Flooded Upstairs Apartment — Yoshimi finds her daughter upstairs after the faucets have flooded the entire abandoned unit. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Upstairs apartment

The Tank's Buried Secret

Repairs briefly appear to restore normality, but the schoolbag returns. Yoshimi investigates the roof and discovers that Mitsuko drowned in the building's water tank.

Key Events

• The Plumbing Repair — After Yoshimi's lawyer speaks with Kamiya, he finally agrees to repair the water problem. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Kamiya Location: Apartment building
• The Schoolbag Reappears — Although the plumbing is repaired, Mitsuko's red schoolbag appears again. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Yoshimi's apartment
• Water Tank Investigation — Yoshimi notices the water tank was last inspected over a year earlier, near Mitsuko's disappearance. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Kamiya, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Building roof
• Mitsuko's Drowning Revealed — Yoshimi sees that Mitsuko fell into the tank while retrieving her schoolbag and drowned. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Building roof and water tank

A Mother's Sacrifice

Mitsuko attacks Yoshimi's daughter, forcing Yoshimi into a desperate elevator escape. Yoshimi sacrifices herself, and years later her spirit appears as a continuing protector.

Key Events

• The Bathtub Attack — Mitsuko's ghost attempts to drown Yoshimi's daughter in the bathtub. Characters: Mitsuko Kawai, Yoshimi Matsubara Location: Yoshimi's apartment bathroom
• Flight Into The Elevator — Yoshimi grabs the unconscious child and flees from Mitsuko into the elevator. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Apartment elevator
• The Spirit's True Pursuit — As the elevator closes, Yoshimi realizes she has been carrying Mitsuko while the pursuing figure is the child she tried to save. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Apartment elevator
• Yoshimi's Sacrifice — Yoshimi allows Mitsuko to take her, sacrificing herself so the spirit will stop pursuing her daughter. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Apartment elevator
• The Water-Filled Elevator — The elevator explodes in a heavy torrent of water, knocking the child to the floor. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Apartment elevator
• A Decade Later — Ten years later, the teenage daughter lives with Kunio and revisits the abandoned building. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Kunio Hamada, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Abandoned apartment block
• Yoshimi's Protective Apparition — Yoshimi appears unchanged, apologizes that they cannot be together, and says she is happy if her daughter is safe. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Former apartment
• The Spirits Disappear — Mitsuko briefly appears before both spirits disappear, leaving the daughter to understand Yoshimi's protection. Characters: Yoshimi Matsubara, Mitsuko Kawai Location: Former apartment

Story Breakdown

• Broken Family — Yoshimi begins the story under intense domestic and legal pressure.
  • Divorce Conflict — Yoshimi struggles through her divorce from Kunio.
  • Custody Battle — Kunio contests Yoshimi's claim to sole custody.
• Unstable Apartment — Yoshimi's attempt at a fresh start is undermined by the building's poor condition.
  • New Residence — Yoshimi rents a rundown apartment.
  • Ignored Leak — Kamiya initially fails to address the ceiling leak.
• Haunting Signs — Unexplained objects and visions connect the apartment complex to a hidden tragedy.
  • Returning Schoolbag — The red schoolbag reappears whenever Yoshimi discards it.
  • Mysterious Girl — Yoshimi repeatedly glimpses a little girl.
• Mitsuko's Story — Yoshimi traces the haunting to the disappearance of Mitsuko Kawai.
  • Missing Poster — A photograph identifies the girl associated with the schoolbag.
  • Upstairs Unit — Mitsuko once lived in the abandoned unit above Yoshimi.
• Water Tank Secret — The building's neglected water system reveals how Mitsuko died.
  • Roof Investigation — Yoshimi checks the inspection history of the water tank.
  • Drowning Revelation — Mitsuko fell into the tank while retrieving her schoolbag.
• Supernatural Attack — Mitsuko's ghost turns its unresolved grief against Yoshimi's daughter.
  • Bathtub Assault — The ghost attempts to drown the child in the bathtub.
  • Elevator Pursuit — Yoshimi flees while Mitsuko follows into the elevator.
• Maternal Sacrifice — Yoshimi accepts death to end Mitsuko's pursuit and save her child.
  • Spirit's Grasp — Yoshimi realizes Mitsuko is clinging to her.
  • Selfless Farewell — Yoshimi sacrifices herself and later remains a protective presence.
• Decade Later — The surviving daughter revisits the abandoned building and discovers Yoshimi's continued care.
  • Abandoned Block — The daughter returns to the former apartment complex ten years later.
  • Protective Ghost — Yoshimi appears, apologizes, and affirms her daughter's safety matters most.

Directed by

Hideo Nakata

Key Cast

• Hitomi Kuroki — Yoshimi Matsubara
• Rio Kanno — Young Ikuko Matsubara
• Mirei Oguchi — Mitsuko Kawai
• Asami Mizukawa — Ikuko Hamada
• Fumiyo Kohinata — Kunio Hamada