A new physical release of a Kiyoshi Kurosawa film is always something to celebrate, however what is notable about Eureka’s choices for the latest release in their Masters of Cinema series is that they highlight Kurosawa’s skills outside the horror genre. With films like Cure and Pulse arguably being his best known work, Kurosawa is a name likely more better known among horror fans than general film fans. However, my first encounter with Kurosawa’s work was through Journey to the Shore and To the Ends of the Earth, which while dabbling with genre, are inherently dramatic works that impressed me enough to slowly go through his back catalogue.
Cloud is probably his most widely available film since those two, certainly in the UK, although apart from Wife of a Spy and his eerie short Chime, it is also the only film he’s made since then, alongside a French language remake of his early film Serpent’s Path. Japan submission of Cloud as a contender for the Best International Film Oscar likely helped garner it more attention, which makes it all the more satisfying that Cloud easily stands amongst the finest of Kurosawa’s work.
Cloud focuses on Ryosuke, a ‘scalper’ who sells on second hand goods for an even higher price than he paid or even how much the product is worth. He seems permanently dissatisfied, whether it is his working life or his relationships, constantly proving to himself that he’s better striking out on his own. He is so resistant to sharing his work that even to the audience, what he exactly does is unclear as he always seems to be on the brink of disaster; it is unclear how much profit he could ever make to be satisfied. As the title suggests, Ryosuke’s selfish actions become a focal point for an increasing number of dissatisfied customers and former employees to gather round, brewing a storm that could break at any moment which will leave devastation in its wake.
This tension begins to break at almost the exact halfway point of the film, as it shifts from satire to revenge thriller. Having grounded the world of the film in real-life issues, Kurosawa shows how easy it can be destabilised. The story may function with a farcical structure of one man trying to handle the increasing fallout of his actions, but the threat of violence is very real and dangerous. While the story makes these shifts in tone, Kurosawa’s camera remains cool and steady, calmly capturing Ryosuke’s life falling apart under the increasing pressure.
In this way, Cloud provides a big contrast to Pulse, Kurosawa’s previous take on the internet where the technology feeds on isolated individuals, by exploring the way people use the internet has changed and how it is used as another tool for humans to prey on each other. Ryosuke is not an innocent individual but the way he is treated by his pursuers goes beyond mere retribution for his line of work, suggesting that he is just a target pre-existing frustrations can be projected onto. Ryosuke the individual’s existence is unimportant as long as the user Ratel is punished. Cloud thus demonstrates how Kurosawa finds a new way to explore his ongoing interest in depicting the bathetic quality of violence: killing a person is so easy and so ordinary, and even easier to see that way if you don’t even consider the person you’re killing a person at all.
Having released four of Kurosawa’s films as part of this series, Eureka’s pairing his latest release with Charisma, a relatively obscure title over a quarter of a century old, is not an obvious choice though there are certainly comparisons to be made between the two. Like Cloud, Charisma is concerned with whether an individual can do anything to prevent collectivised groups determined to pursue their own ends. Kurosawa again keeps his camera calm and steady as it follows former cop Goro Yabuike (played by Kurosawa regular Koji Yakusho), disappearing into a forest after a hostage situation goes wrong, only to find himself in the middle of another conflict over the titular Charisma, a unique tree only found in this forest.
Together, these films form an invaluable release for cinema fans everywhere as a celebration of one of the greatest living directors and hopefully, a sign that the rest of his vast filmography will become more readily available for us all to enjoy.
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In the stillness, Kurosawa allows space for discussions between these competing parties. Nakasone, part of an Environmental Protection agency, has swarms of men to help monitor the forest, however they are consistently chased away from Charisma by Kiriyama, a solitary figure determined to carry on his former superior’s duty to keep Charisma safe from human interference. On the periphery, Professor Mitsuko Jinbo has been observing Charisma leaving Kiriyama with the impression that she is ‘harmless but full of theories.’ However, one of these theories is that Charisma is ultimately damaging the environment around it and must be removed. Similarly, Nakasone’s motivations are also revealed to be more destructive thrusting Yabuike into the same situation he failed to resolve at the start: to protect or destroy.
Where Cloud is accessible and grounded in familiar zeitgeisty themes, Charisma feels deliberately off putting and confused as it wrestles with difficult themes. Similarly to how Ryosuke is treated in Cloud, Charisma is the subject of competing perspectives on humanity’s relationship with nature – it draws aggression, compassion and curiosity in equal measure. Yabuike is similarly projected upon, his presence as a ‘drop out’ and former employment as a cop makes him appealing to all sides as they try to convince him to support their cause.
Like the titualar tree, Yabuike seems largely unconcerned by their human interests. His presence in the forest necessitated him abandoning his wife and child, perhaps taking literally the hostage’s message to ‘restore the rules of the world.’ ‘There seems to be so many forces at work,’ he considers at one point and the film follows his journey at navigating them to find a force that actually works. In a forest where trees continuously fall over as the roots fail to take hold, Yabuike offers a certainty though certainty about what, we are uncertain about. Like his protagonist, Kurosawa’s views were moulded over time and experience as Charisma’s script was ten years in the making and during that time, Kurosawa changed the optimistic ending into something more pessimistic, though enough ambiguity remains in the final version for that to be debatable.
Charisma is thus a more demanding film than Cloud but no less rewarding, especially on a release that provides a way in to what could be impenetrable. Jonathan Wroot’s commentary is the best example of this, where he freely admits he doesn’t have all the answers but demonstrates a fierce engagement with what the film has to offer. He is equally incisive with his commentary on Cloud, highlighting its comedy and how many well established actors make up the cast even in the smallest of roles, particularly impressive considering the film’s small budget.
The other supplements provide significant contributions that provide further understanding on Kurosawa’s work in general. Promotional material and reviews of Charisma from when it was released in 1999 provide an interesting snapshot on its immediate reception, particularly Kurosawa already being a respected filmmaker amongst his contemporaries fifteen years into his career which is now in its fifth decade. Tom Mes provides a pair of essays on Charisma and Cloud that provide valuable context and explores numerous interpretations while acknowledging how both films are firmly ambiguous and slippery. Joe Hickingbottom’s video essay on what he describes as Kurosawa’s ‘Cerebral Cinema’ is a brief half hour and so is inevitably selective in its coverage. Nevertheless, it provides a concise history of Kurosawa’s career and how all his work ‘resists resolution and rewards reflection.’
This release is a great one for existing Kurosawa fans as well as those who want an introduction to his work. Charisma marks a period that proved to be a turning point for Kurosawa, having spent most of the previous decade making direct-to-video yakuza films but consistently showing his inventiveness. Following on from the success of Cure, Charisma marks Kurosawa utilising his experience on a bigger canvas and pushing his skills into new areas. By the time of Cloud, his reputation is secured but he shows no sign of playing it safe or unwillingness to explore new themes. Together, these films form an invaluable release for cinema fans everywhere as a celebration of one of the greatest living directors and hopefully, a sign that the rest of his vast filmography will become more readily available for us all to enjoy.
Cloud + Charisma is out now on Eureka Masters of Cinema Blu-Ray
