Grotesque

Aki Miyashita and Kazuo Kojima are snatched from a street during their first date and dragged to a basement with plastic-covered walls. They wake bound and terrified, unsure who has captured them or why this is happening. This brutal captivity marks the start of a nightmare that will test their will to survive and their bond to each other.

The couple is shackled in the basement as a sadistic captor begins his rampage of degradation. He subjects them to violent acts and sexual assaults, providing no motive. Between assaults, he occasionally stops to attend their wounds as if conducting a perverse form of care.

Despite the brutality, the captor reveals a refined, wealthy persona that suggests professional training. He dresses well, plays classical music, and displays manners that betray a dark sophistication. There is a rotting undertone behind his polished exterior, hinting at hidden corruption.

After several days, he relocates them to a clean, hospital style room where his medical skills are evident. The sterile setting contrasts with the suffering, underscoring his dual nature. He continues to monitor their wounds and maintain the illusion of care.

The doctor tells them they will be freed and plans to turn himself in afterward. As part of his apology, he offers to give them his entire fortune, unsettling in his calm sincerity. The couple briefly vow to support each other once they leave and stay together.

Just as they believe they will be released, they are returned to the basement and shackled again. The doctor announces one last test of love, a cruel trap designed to determine their fate. The ominous plan illustrates the predator's demand for ultimate dominance even in the supposed endgame.

The doctor imposes a near impossible challenge that tests their bodies and willpower. Aki must cut her ropes to free herself, while Kazuo attempts to reach the other side under extreme conditions. The setup guarantees that escape is virtually unattainable, exposing the predator's twisted rules of love.

Aki's defiant insult enrages the doctor, who kills her in a brutal moment. Kazuo, still alive, manages to stab the doctor in a final act of resistance. The couple dies together, their attempt to escape ending in tragedy.

In the epilogue the madman is shown to have survived, though he moves with difficulty. He buries the couple next to each other in a quiet forest, following a traditional Japanese method and leaving scissors on their tombs as a symbol. The act emphasizes the predator's chilling mix of refinement and predation that defines the film's tone.

After the burial, the killer returns to his car, perfume masking his scent as he resumes his predatory way. A young girl walks by, and the screen cuts as he goes after his next victim. The final image leaves the audience unsettled about the cycle of violence continuing.