by Brian Hioe
語言:
English
Photo credit: Nikkatsu
AT THE START of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s gripping and offbeat 2024 thriller Cloud, we see a young man named Yoshii pressure a middle-aged couple into selling him a stock of medical devices. During “regular” work hours, Yoshii is a factory worker. But outside of his day job, Yoshii has carved out a side hustle as an online reseller. As he tries to establish a more promising life with his girlfriend, Yoshii finds himself increasingly drawn into the addictive nature of reselling products–including those he does not know the true value of–online for higher prices, even if this may mean deceiving customers.
Cloud, then, proves something like 2014’s Nightcrawler in detailing its protagonist’s slide into a morally ambiguous profession. However, the movie takes an unpredictable turn midway through. As it transpires, Yoshii’s reselling has earned him the ire of those who feel he ripped them off. Apparently, Yoshii has utterly ruined some of these individuals’ lives, so much so that they have started to organize online to take revenge on him. It is here that the movie sees a drastic tonal shift, shifting away from just focusing on Yoshii and instead highlighting the ensemble cast that has begun to pursue him.
Cloud excels at its slow burn atmosphere. Initially, the movie comes across as a character study of Yoshii. But with the tonal shift of its second half, the film becomes increasingly dramatic, even surreal–and all the more compelling.
Photo courtesy of Nikkatsu
With Cloud, Kurosawa seems to be commenting about the nature of capitalism in the digital age. Capitalism is, after all, a socioeconomic system in which one makes a living from selling to others, and the rise of the internet has anonymized many economic exchanges that would have previously occurred in person. The internet, too, has seen the rise of online scams targeting the naive and vulnerable. Amidst the internet’s anonymity and physical distance, the consequences of one’s shady online actions might feel more distant, and rather unexpected whenever they finally manifest.
Masaki Suda’s turn as Yoshii is a strong contributor to Cloud’s strength as a movie This marks a departure for Suda from roles mostly in anime and tokusatsu, establishing his credentials as a capable dramatic actor. New face Daiken Okudaira also makes a strong impression as Yoshii’s mysterious assistant. Kotone Furukawa’s role as Yoshii’s girlfriend, the only female character in the movie, proves somewhat less successful due to the role lacking any true character depth.
Still, Cloud is a standout work. Whether judged simply as a thriller or as commentary about online shopping in the digital age and contemporary alienation in capitalism, Cloud works on all levels. It is not to be missed.