Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Writer: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Stars: Masaki Suda, Kotone Furukawa, Daiken Okudaira
Synopsis: Yoshii, a young man who resells goods online, finds himself at the center of a series of mysterious events that put his life at risk.
Fans of legendary Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa seem to have it made this year. Four years since his last feature, Wife of a Spy, the man has returned with a whopping 3 options for fans to choose from. His latest, Cloud, was selected by Japan as their submission for Best International Feature at the upcoming 97th Academy Awards. And how exciting would it be to see this film represented at the big night? Not due to a lack of quality, it would still be quite a shock. This is a phenomenally well-made film, but it’s just so inherently angry and saddened by the state of humanity. This is an ice-cold film made to chill your bones and leave you with little to no warmth as Kurosawa forces you to reflect on who we are as humans. And more importantly, it examines what comes next when we’ve inevitably lost it all.
I write inevitably because, if anything is made clear from Cloud, it’s that the wheels of our doom have been set in motion for some time. The film follows Ryosuke (Masaki Suda), a man who we know little about, at first. Over time, we learn a bit about his life, but he still very much remains an enigma. Whether this is intentional or not on Suda’s part is one of the many exciting elements of Cloud. Kurosawa’s script is so dense, ready to be dissected with each new development. It’s such an enriching experience to feel a film challenge its audience not only visually, but thematically, structurally, and just about every single way a film can. Suda’s performance is completely closed off from everything else around him, as these events in his life wash over him. And as he slowly finds himself immersed deeper in the dark lengths humans can take, not much changes on his end. That is, until Kurosawa decides to break his characters open and reveal his ultimate thesis.
The film opens with Ryosuke conducting a deal for some massage machines. Even with little to no context, it’s clear that Ryosuke has not only done this before, but drives a mean bargain that often pays off in the end. He seems like a guy who gets what he wants, yet never seems to show any sort of emotional excitement regarding it. He’s merely doing it because it’s all he’s learned how to do over the years. We very quickly come to learn he’s also somebody who can easily lie through his teeth for his own gain. Ryosuke is a reseller, operating in that ugly marketplace of Internet speculation. Reselling has been in existence for ages, but it feels incredibly relevant to touch upon in the modern age of technology. One just needs to look at a high-demand live event, limited sneaker or clothing drop, or rare pop culture collectible release. There are people who make a living off preying on the excitement and passion of others. And with the anonymity of the Internet, this behavior has only been emboldened. It’s a parasitic relationship that, quite literally, manipulates some of the most pure emotions imaginable, for monetary gain. It’s a disgusting enterprise. Yet Kurosawa never really demonizes Ryosuke for his actions. In fact, that feels a bit like the point. This is a world poisoned by the void of the Internet. Even the victims of Ryosuke’s scummy greed aren’t innocent. And with the way the second half of this film plays out, it’s clear Kurosawa isn’t all that interested in depicting right versus wrong. He’s showing how the void of anger and anonymity that is the Internet poisons all eventually, and is bound to doom us all to a cruel and unnecessary fate.
The Internet is not real. It doesn’t exist as a tangible place, but rather, as a congregation of ideas presented by people all over the world. But the emotions it brings out of some people are certainly real. The veil of anonymous usernames and hidden profile pictures emboldens many to say things no rational human would ever say in person. It encourages some to act on these emotions in dangerous ways. The Internet can be a resource, of course. But it has been warped into something far more sinister. And it has also warped us as people. Whether this behavior was always in humans, or merely revealed itself as a symptom of the Internet is a frightening revelation to ponder. Kurosawa’s Cloud dives into this in its second half, which features some of the most exciting filmmaking you’re likely to see this year.
As written earlier, Cloud is ice cold in its approach to delivering cinematic imagery. The razor-sharp way Kurosawa captures his extended climax is chilling. There’s no sense of fantastic spectacle because it’s meant to shock the senses with how quickly life can be snuffed out. Of course, Kurosawa is a master filmmaker, so despite having no necessity for flashiness, the entire film looks fantastic. It’s action without the awe-inspiring elements that bombastic films can lean into at times. This is a frightening film because of how matter-of-factly Kurosawa handles these characters. It doesn’t matter if they may or may not have a completed arc from a storytelling perspective. What matters is the constant reminder permeating throughout this final act: there are devastating consequences to feeling emboldened by the savage world of the Internet. It’s not until one finds themselves suffering the real consequences of their actions that they crumble in real time. Cloud is by no means a horror film, but it’s certainly a terrifying film nevertheless. The reason? Aside from some really wonderful flourishes from Kurosawa in the first half, it holds up a mirror to its audience. We’ve all found ourselves deeply embedded on the Internet. And at one point or another, we’ve all likely found ourselves hurt, or saddened, or enraged by the things we see. It’s human nature to feel. However, Kurosawa’s film examines whether or not the fault of all this anger and violence lies in the lap of the Internet, or if it existed in us all along. It’s a fascinating dilemma, and it makes Cloud inherently one of the most interesting and exciting films of the year.
Cloud celebrated its U.S. premiere at the 2024 edition of Fantastic Fest. It does not currently have a release date set for the United States.
