Cure

An entrancing, unsettling, dream-like, and fucking phenomenal film. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film like this but I absolutely loved it. This is my first Kiyoshi Kurosawa film but I must say, his ability to portray horror is masterful. The way that horror and suspense is built through the film is brilliant, as Kurosawa uses the mundane to portray these heinous acts committed seemingly “for no reason”. Along with this, there are many hallucinatory or hypnosis-induced hallucinations that are used throughout the film, which greatly add to the horror aspect of the film itself. The characters in the film especially aid in the atmosphere created by Kurosawa. Mamiya in particular was quite unsettling when he would slowly and methodically pick apart a random person to “suggest” something to them. His conversations with Takabe were excellent and his calm, yet unsettling disposition is enough to send shivers down my spine. Takabe is also a great character, as his obsession with Mamiya and the case as a whole leads to his further neglect of his sick wife and his own mental decline. The way his mind unfolds throughout the film is portrayed perfectly and Koji Yakusho’s performance is one of the best in any horror film I’ve ever seen. Though all aspects of the film are great, the themes that are explored are what really hooked me. Even though this is the case, I still definitely didn’t grasp everything in the film and will need to rewatch before giving a more ‘comprehensive’ review. The main themes that I noticed were present in the film were of identity, obsession, and of violence, and I will explore each a bit deeper. First, I want to talk about identity and the fragility of self. The film presents the idea that the self or our own ideas of ourselves can be easily manipulated by external (social) or internal (emotional) forces under the right circumstances. This is portrayed through Mamiya’s ‘emptiness’ and Takabe’s unraveling, as both were caused from a combination of the two. This idea is extremely interesting, yet presents heavy implications. Those being that our identities are not inherent, but are rather veils or covers that have been formed through socialization and cover something more instinctual or primal. I agree with this idea, to an extent, yet I still believe that there are some aspects of our identity that are inherent and instinctual themselves. Second, I wanted to look at obsession. This theme, along with isolation that’s present in the film, helps to supplement the overall decline that the main characters experience mentally. There’s Takabe with his case, Mamiya with control, and Sakuma obsessed with the answers/truth (leading to him visiting Mamiya and meeting an unfortunate end). In all of these cases, it is shown that obsession leads to madness. Pair this obsession with the isolation I mentioned and it’s a recipe for destruction. The combination of these two themes is ever present in every aspect of the film: the reserved, empty shots, the whooshing ambience of wind, and the slow peeling away of other characters from the film. Third and finally, is violence, which is portrayed as an inherent aspect of human nature that can be tapped into, if done so correctly, by any external force. This is an extremely interesting view, as it is seemingly saying violence acts as a dormant entity within one’s self. With this, and as I mentioned with identity/self and how that idea is built upon, the idea of identity and self acts almost as a facade for some deeper animalistic urges. It almost reminds me of Sigmund Freud’s Id or Carl Jung’s Shadow, as it seems the film is also saying that there are these innate urges within us all that can be tapped into when the right (or wrong) circumstances befall us. This film was fucking fantastic. I loved every second of this hypnotizing maze and just wanted it to go on for longer. The themes that were explored throughout the film are some that intrigue me greatly and I really enjoyed seeing Kurosawa’s interpretations of the ideas, especially when related to the human psyche. This has already become one of my favorite horror films and I’ll probably rewatch it in the next few days. The film struck the perfect balance of mystery and resolution, as the ending felt complete, but also left me pondering and wanting even more. Nevertheless, this is a perfect film.