Petite Cossette
Eiri, the art student-hero of the Gothic OVALe Portrait de Petite  Cossette("The Portrait of Little Cossette," 2004), falls in love  with the mysterious image of a girl he sees within a Venetian glass  goblet. As his fascination grows, he learns that Cossette was murdered  250 years ago by her artist-fiancé Marcelo. The spirits of the objects  that witnessed her murder have been seeking revenge, and they torture  Eiri, who may be the reincarnation of Marcelo. While this mayhem is  taking place in an alternate reality, a modern girl who loves Eiri  attempts to rescue him. Director Akiyuki Shinbo fills the gaps in  Mayori Sekijima's muddled screenplay with collages of images that  suggest bargain-basement Salvador Dali: butterflies, ruins, dolls,  clocks, crescent moons, gears, and crucifixes, all awash in a sea of  blood. But the pretentious visuals and artsy camera angles can't  disguise the feeble storyline and underdeveloped characters. (Rated 16  and older: violence, grotesque imagery, brief nudity, tobacco use)--Charles Solomon