Pulse

Horrorphile

follow this blog

1043 followers

3405 daily readers

rank of 1

E-mail Subscription

Receive an e-mail notification of new posts on this site:

Kairo (Pulse)

April 13th 2010 02:49

Director Kiyoshi Kurasawa (no relation to Akira) has style to burn. I’ve only seen two of his features, Sakebi (2006) and this one, Kairo (2001), but I’m keen to see more. He controls a very elegant oneiric atmosphere throughout his movies, and the performances of his actors are always excellent. He also understands the power of nightmarish imagery and sound when used sparingly. Kairo, while overlong, maintains a potent element of dread and foreboding, right up to the final image.

A small group of Japanese university students investigate a series of strange deaths linked to a very bizarre website that encourages viewers to meet with a ghost and interact with the dead. It’s a serious slow burner; a ponderous and enigmatic study on loneliness and the spectres of the afterlife that creates a deeply unsettling, yet creepily elusive effect. How in touch with each other are we? How powerful are ghosts? How devastating is a computer virus? Well, in this case these cyber-driven ghosts have the ability to induce severe depression and suicidal tendencies. But there’s something worse at stake … humanity itself.

Kurasawa’s visual style lends itself to a dreamlike fabric; the cinematography is diffused light hinting at a soft focus. There is a sense of claustrophobia, but that in itself is strangely calming. One feels the ghosts closing in, and one can do nothing about it but feel the cool hand from the beyond close slowly around one’s being. Rather than the overt challenging menace of of classic J-Horror Ju-on: The Grudge (2003), Kairo throbs soothingly with a passive aggressive glide and wobble. But, in some ways, this kind of supernatural threat is even worse, as it lulls one into a false sense of insecurity.

Kairo is about the metaphysical apocalypse of the human relationship, the plight of love, a harrowing cyber confrontation from across the inner cosmos, beckoning human kind and luring them into the void of darkest despair. Pulsating with a desolate dark poetry, Kairo is a unique ghost story, which - like most great original movies from Europe or Asia – was remade by Hollywood in 2006 (as Pulse), the new screenplay being co-written by Wes Craven, directed by unknown Jim Sonzero, and was given the horror kiss of death: a PG-13 rating.

My favourite scene of the movie (apart from the ghostly apparition wib-wobbling out of a darkened corner toward a terrified victim) was the shocking tower jump suicide; superbly CGIed (one has to assume), and deeply disturbing. Apparently the Hollywood director assured fans he would include this scene in the remake, but it failed to appear in the theatrical (PG-13) version. Cheap skate cop-out!

The other visual element that resonates strongly is the confetti-style disintegration of the specters, leaving behind a dark smudge against walls and floors. This rather beautiful image gives the movie a melancholic painterly effect, especially combined with the movie’s already existing subdued palette and slightly hazy focus. Overall, despite the movie’s languid pace and moody tone, it’s a highly memorable, oddly piercing tragedy on a quietly epic scale … What does the future hold once the entire world has been infected with Death? There are survivors, but the horizon is grim. Hold on to your closest friends, this is one beat you don't want to skip.

Here's a simple, yet very effective fan-made "trailer" I couldn't resist including:

Pulse DVD is courtesy of Madman Entertainment, many thanks!

127

Vote

subscribe to this blog

follow this blog on Orble

start your own blog

[ Link ]

Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

Related Posts:

Relate This Post

[ Previous - CHAS. BALUN (1948 - 2009) R.I.P ]

[ Next - Jennifer's Body ]

Comments

3 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by ShaunK

April 20th 2010 02:02

Screen Adventure

damn - this is one of those films that I constantly have in my ''I almost rented this'' pile - I got to pull my finger out and see it. It sounds like a good time