Cloud review

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest film, Cloud, devotes its early moments to the ordinary, detailing the seemingly unremarkable world of online reselling. But Kurosawa’s direction elevates this mundane premise into a taut thriller. The story follows Ryosuke Yoshii (Masaki Suda) a factory worker who supplements his income through predatory reselling. His business model is little more than “buy low, sell high”. But the consequences spiral far beyond basic economics.

What sets Cloud apart from conventional thrillers is witnessing the psychological toll of Ryosuke’s actions. The film traces the ripple effects of his morally ambiguous side hustle, detailing how each transaction plants the seeds of resentment and retribution.

Adeptly, Kurosawa’s script refuses to paint Ryosuke as a straightforward villain. Instead, he’s a product of his environment, driven by desperation and the longing for a better life. But the people he swindles aren’t simple victims either. Their grudges and motivations don’t always justify their desires for violent reprisal. Meanwhile, his girlfriend’s motives are shifting and unclear.

Kurosawa’s signature style is present, from his use of space and the tactic of using silence to build tension. Ryosuke’s houses and workspace aren’t the usual safe spaces but elicit worries over being under surveillance. The director’s attention to aural detail is just as remarkable. Every creak of the floorboards and every flicker from a fluorescent light helps to create an uneasy atmosphere. Even the most mundane objects, from a faulty cappuccino machine to a stack of unsold goods, become causes of anxiety for Kurosawa.

Undoubtedly, the film’s sound design deserves special mention. The direction often employs silence making every interruption a jolt to the system. From a vandalized window to the sudden discharge of a gun, the film delivers several sonic assaults.  These moments aren’t cheap jump scares but carefully choregraphed shocks that produce a feeling of uncertainty. The use of sound is both disorienting and adrenaline-charged, keeping the audience on edge even when some of the film’s events stretch the suspension of disbelief.

Pleasingly, Masaki Suda’s performance as Ryosuke provides the film with a blend of vulnerability and menace. He captures the internal conflict of a man who knows he is in over his head yet can’t stop himself from digging deeper. The supporting cast is equally strong, with each character contributing to the film’s intricate web of mistrust and vengeance. Kurosawa’s direction ensures that even speaking roles like a local cop, feel significant, contributing complexity to the film’s narrative.

Cloud is a testament to Kurosawa’s ability to uncover menace in the mundane. By turning the world of online reselling into a battle of motivations, the director challenges us to consider the implications of a seemingly innocuous, but often anonymous technology. The result is a tense, atmospheric thriller that like Cure or Pulse, keeps viewers spellbound across its run time.