Cinefreak.net - The.wrong.way.to.use.healing.ma... May 2026

The screen cuts to black. The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic isn’t a fun movie. It’s not even a “good” movie in the traditional sense — the pacing is a mess, the dialogue is 80% grunts, and the budget clearly ran out before the final edit. But as a meditation on power without empathy, it’s unforgettable. Soma made only one other film ( The Silent Scalpel , 1989) before disappearing from the industry. Some say he’s still out there, healing someone. Some say he’s learned the right way.

The first act lulls you into a false sense of tragic heroism. Kenji patches up low-level thugs, seals bullet holes, reattaches fingers. He never carries a gun. He’s the insurance policy — the reason the gang can take risks. You think, okay, a healer caught in the underworld. Grim but familiar. CINEFREAK.NET - The.Wrong.Way.to.Use.Healing.Ma...

The film’s infamous 12-minute middle sequence, shot on grainy 16mm with a single flickering fluorescent light, reveals what Kenji does in his off-hours. He kidnaps rival gang members. He doesn’t torture them for information. He tortures them to practice . The screen cuts to black

Then comes the basement.

That’s the wrong way to use healing magic. Not as mercy, but as a scalpel without a hilt. A reset button for cruelty. But as a meditation on power without empathy,