Cloud / Charisma

This double whammy by Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa comes in the shape of a Limited Edition 2-disc Blu-ray set and contains his philosophical drama film CHARISMA and his psychological thriller CLOUD - both films utterly absorbing and unique in their own right.

CHARISMA (1999) is meditative, thought-provoking and to a certain extend downright absurd film - a metaphor for the forces that deal with life and death as well as the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, as well as urban dwelling vs. a quiet existence in a forest - a dying forest to be precise. Koji Yakusho plays Goro Yabuike, a seasoned hostage negotiator who finds himself confronted with a particularly tricky situation: An MP is held hostage at gunpoint, with the kidnapper displaying a ransom note which reads ‘Restore the Rules of the World’. Yabuike has no idea that the words on the ransom note will soon become personal! Naively assuming that he can help both men, his plan backfires and the captor kills the MP before being shot dead by police.

In short, it’s a mighty mess and as a consequence, Yabuike is suspended from duty. Not only that but his boss insists he needs some time off to reflect on things and, driving along a road, drops him off bang in the middle of a mysterious forest (as you do). Things get a lot more mysterious when he realises that the forest is in fact dying and the only seemingly healthy tree is fiercely watched and protected by a young man named Kiriyama (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), a former patient of a nearby sanatorium which still stands but no longer functions as such. Every attempt by ‘intruders’ (and there are quite a few) to uproot the odd tree, which is called ‘Charisma’ and is additionally protected by iron bars surrounding it, is thwarted by Kiriyama, even if it means violence.

As an increasingly bewildered Yabuike stumbles across the forest, eating mushrooms which seem to have a hallucinogenic effect, he steps into an animal trap, with a woman named Mitsuko Jinbo (Jun Fubuki) coming to his aid as she happens to drive by on a small road. Lucky for a change! Inviting him back to her abode, she turns out to be a professor specialising in plants, trees and ecological balance, informing him that ‘Charisma’ must be destroyed because its roots are toxic and thus poison the ground and gradually killing off the other trees. Yabauike also receives a text message on his smartphone from his boss, informing him to consider his current ‘vacation’ a permanent one… in short, he’s fired! With a wounded leg, he’s drawn into an increasingly violent dispute between Kiriyama, Mitsuko, her bonkers younger sister Chizuru (Yoriko Douguchi) and a bunch of militants stopping at nothing to destroy ‘Charisma’ - confronting Yabuike with philosophical questions and which side to take. Yes, it’s as barmy as it sounds but there’s a deeper meaning to it all, you just have to dig deep in order to find it. The cinematography is particularly awe-inspiring, occasionally straying into the realms of fantasy (dig that gigantic mushroom-shaped cloud which looks like it’s formed of leaves and twigs).

In contrast, CLOUD (2024) is a different beast altogether, concerning a young factory worker named Ryosuke Yoshii (Masaki Suda), who increasingly begins to dabble in reselling goods online at a massive markup, ripping off suppliers in the process. When his boss wishes to promote him, Yoshii turns down the promotion without giving a specific reason, in fact, he quits his job altogether because he’s come to realise that he can earn lots more money by reselling goods and setting up his own company. He leaves Tokio and moves into a large house in the suburbs together with his girlfriend Akiko (Kotone Furukawa), whom he wishes to marry. As he turns his new pad into an office and a warehouse, he becomes more ruthless by the day and even hires an assistant, Sano (Daiken Okudaira). Soon though, the profit which Yoshii makes comes at a price because ripped off customers begin to pester him online and in real life.

Going by the username ‘Ratel’ (a mammal known for its fierceness), he soon finds himself at the receiving end when both disgruntled customers and suppliers manage to trace him - in particular a young man named Inoue (Yugo Mikawa), who is jealous of Yoshii’s success and a violent individual named Muraoka (Masataka Kubota) who’s also after him. Worse, his former boss assembles his own gang and well, it’s too bad that only a few days ago, Yoshii had sacked his loyal assistant Sano, never mind his girlfriend who has also walked out on him. When Yoshii is attacked in his own home, he just about manages to escape and run into a nearby forest but he’s chased and eventually kidnapped. Suddenly, the lonesome wolf finds himself surrounded by an angry pack hellbent on revenge and it doesn’t look as if Yoshii has a lucky escape a second time ‘round. But then, and completely unexpectedly, Sano turns up again… Although considerably more straightforward than ‘Charisma’ as far as the plot is concerned, the violent climax still defies any logic. Maybe there’s a deeper meaning to be found as well, only this time in the cyber world…

The first 2,000 copies of CLOUD / CHARISMA are presented in an O-card slipcase with a collector’s booklet. Additional bonus included various audio options, audio commentaries, trailers and an insightful video essay exploring the work of Kiyoshi Kurosawa.