VITAL is a slow-burner of a movie, one that's carefully composed and skillfully executed. However, along with the sensible trickle that carries the story is a sense of urgency and short bursts of erratic visuals that banshee-scream out of the screen. Loaded with Tsukamoto dynamite, VITAL thrives off of the juxtaposition of serene and chaotic camerawork and editing. Like many of his other films, though, it uses certain stylish techniques effectively without coming across as forced or pretentious.

The story is simple enough, and the idea of rediscovering your memories, and essentially yourself, through the dissection and exploration of a loved one's corpse is interesting. Of course, aiding the interest is a stoic performance by Tadanobu Asano, pulling a familiar but appropriate act as the quiet and slightly disturbed Hiroshi Takagi. Actually, the main cast in general illuminates this movie and reinforces all of the concepts that Tsukamoto attempts to explore. Nami Tsukamoto plays Takagi's deceased girlfriend, mostly in flashbacks. Her haunting dances twist and turn before a heavily caffeinated camera as memories of their shared past slowly rise from the recesses of his mind. Other standouts are Kiki's role as Ikumi Yoshimoto and Jyun Kunimura's as Ryoko's distraught father.

Tsukamoto's compositions are reminiscent of some of his earlier work, especially GEMINI. The way that he frames his shots and positions his actors makes this immediately recognizable as one of his movies. Woven in between the more solemn scenes are jolting moments where the music pounds and you start to think Tetsuo is waiting behind the curtains to punch you in the face. But these are just that: jolts. Brief electro-shock therapy coinciding with the connecting puzzle pieces in Takagi's boggled mind. Tsukamoto doesn't need to pound us anymore, and he's not trying to shock us. VITAL is about self-exploration in the most literal of ways.

While it may disappoint those expecting to see "the goods," it's pretty impressive that Tsukamoto doesn't resort to in-your-face gore or gross-out moments considering the subject matter. He deftly dodges the cadavers' guts and focuses more on Takagis' reception and absorption of them; him finding himself buried somewhere deep within the muscles and cartilage of his girlfriend.

It's great to see the way this director has continually progressed and grown film by film, and as soon as VITAL ends you'll want to see what Tsukamoto does next. For now, soak this one in slowly and watch it more than once. VITAL is a beautiful movie that should not be missed.