After a character begs for his life in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s excellent “Cloud,” another man says, “Too late to live now.” It kind of feels like that lately, doesn’t it? Online personas and virtual existences have changed how we live, maybe even altering the definition of the word in the tech era, leading this masterful director to revisit the warnings of his breakthrough films “Cure” and “Pulse,” but with the language of a vengeance thriller instead of the J-Horror trend that made him an international star. This is more “Reservoir Dogs” than “Ringu.” But whatever box one wants to place it in, it’s a reminder of Kurosawa’s remarkable skill with pacing and plotting, delivering a brisk film that leaves one pondering its themes, especially what it means to live in an era when nothing is real.
One of the main talking points of “Cloud” will be how we’re supposed to feel about Yoshii (Masaki Suda), a man who takes a long look at a life of routine at the factory at which he works and says, “nah.” He pushes aside an offer of a promotion from his supportive boss and decides to up the game in his online marketplace instead of the well-paved societal path in front of him. He’s one of those guys who buys stuff as cheaply as possible and then resells it at a profit, introduced in the film’s first scene, paying a scant fee for “therapy machines” and then selling them at a massive markup.
He earns enough doing this that he’s able to move to a much bigger place with his girlfriend, Akiko (Kotone Furukawa), and even hire an assistant named Sano (Daiken Okudaira). He’s a business, man. The problem is that Yoshii, who goes by Ratel online, doesn’t seem to care if what he’s selling has any value, boasting that knockoffs are the real thing and hiding behind the internet as people complain. Of course, this is the kind of thing that creates enemies, even spawning an online forum looking for vengeance. It doesn’t stay online long.
The first half of “Cloud” burns in that familiar Kurosawa mode as Yoshii realizes he may have a stalker. Shadowy figures around his property elevate the tension in a manner that feels like Kurosawa could pivot into something truly existential, like his horror films. But the second half of “Cloud” turns into something much different: a brutal thriller in which Yoshii learns the mortal cost of his online behavior. Kurosawa executes some of his most impressive directing to date in this back half, using an abandoned warehouse as a house of horrors. It’s not accidental that these men are fighting for their lives in a location that once employed people like them. The jobs probably went online.
How are we supposed to feel about Yoshii’s comeuppance? Is he a scam artist or a victim of an online witch hunt? Listen, he’s no angel, but we see Yoshii underpay one guy and sell some fake purses online—he’s certainly not the most morally corrupt dude you’ll find on Facebook Marketplace. Is Kurosawa suggesting that any sin at all paves the road to Hell? It’s also important to note that the vengeful souls who come to drag down Yoshii aren’t exactly Mr. Orange themselves, bumbling their way through a venture that becomes increasingly, unpredictably violent. Everyone is fighting for something, anything, in a time when most people get nothing and then are asked to fill out an online survey about it.
“Cure” and “Pulse” asked questions about what technology does to the act of “living,” and “Cloud” seems to conclude that nothing is real. Online living has allowed for layers of anonymity that smother what once could have been called genuine or even moral. And when that happens—when the machines of online capitalism grind humanity into submission—the inevitable outcome is tragic. It’s too late for anything else.
