Kairo - Japanese Horror Movie Review
A Film From Director Kurosawa Kiyoshi
Better known in the west as Pulse, Kairo more accurately translates to "circuit". Released in 2001 by director, Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Kairo follows the path to fame already paved by other Japanese horror film Ringu (1998), but Kurosawa flexes his cinematic muscles by complicating the narrative of a typical ghost story into a philosophical view of human connection.
Kairo Plot Synopsis
Kairo follows two separate storylines that converge by the end of the film. The first storyline follows Kudo Michi and her colleagues as they try to understand the recent suicide of their friend Taguichi. A ghostly reflection on a computer monitor and a phone call seemingly from the deceased saying "Help me" leads to a paralyzing encounter with a ghost, leaving one of Kudo's friends despondent. The experience has a ripple effect on the rest of Kudo's friends who increasingly become isolated and depressed until each of them disappears or kills themselves.
The second storyline involves Kawashima Ryosuke, who has just recently decided to connect to the internet (these are the days of dial-up and floppy disks). He becomes terrified when his computer automatically brings him to a site that asks "Do you want to meet a ghost"? Seeking help, he becomes acquainted with Karasawa Harue, a student he meets at the university's computer lab. As the mystery deepens, Karasawa succumbs to the same feelings of depression plaguing Kudo's friends and Kawashima takes it upon himself to save her.
Loneliness and Alienation as the Real Danger
Kairo is a film with a moral, and it isn't well hidden. The film explores how technology, specifically the internet, can be alienating and then raises the philosophical debate about whether human beings are essentially alone in the world. They're topics that are still raised today, especially in light of social networking sites. Can interaction using a computer as a proxy substitute for face-to-face human interaction? This film slams its fist and says no, but perhaps it doesn't matter anyway, which is a scary thought, indeed.
With this in mind, the narrative of a ghost story falls a bit flat in the wake of its preachy nature. There are elements of the film left unanswered, like how and why the ghosts are working through the internet. Theories are set out, but never resolved. Parts of the film can feel incomprehensible and ultimately unsatisfying when it's over.
But How Scary is the Film?
What it boils down to is the fact that Kairo is a horror film and by definition it has to be scary. The ghosts in the film come off as the typical shadows and humanoid shapes that tend to congregate in Japanese horror films and aside from a handful of scenes, there isn't much in the way of ghost appearances.
Kurosawa doesn't use gore or shock tactics, but he doesn't really need it because he has a masterful command of light and sound. Like any really good horror films, the thoughtful use of eerie sounds and shadows in Kairo is top-notch.
It is not so much the imagery that is meant to scare, though there are times when it genuinely does so. It is the idea behind the film that Kurosawa is more concerned about. Kairo presents an apocalyptic world that spawns from our own loneliness which can be scarier than any ghost.
Kairo can easily be written off as just another Japanese horror film, but that would eliminate the chance to experience a film from one of Japanese most popular and innovative filmmakers.
Kairo (Pulse) DVD
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