Kairo (film)
Encyclopedia
is a 2001 Japanese horror film
directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
. The film was based on his novel
of the same name, and was released in the United States
in 2005
as Pulse. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard
section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival
. The movie has a cult following
and was the subject of a 2006 English language remake, also titled Pulse (with two sequels).
and loneliness
of modern existence due to technology. Communication breakdown and isolation are the main themes of the film. The film features two parallel story lines.
The first storyline involves a young woman named Kudo Michi (Kumiko Aso) who works at a plant sales company. She has recently moved to the city and her main friends are her three colleagues; Sasano Junko, Toshio Yabe and Taguchi. At the start of the film, it appears Taguchi has been missing for some days working on a computer disk. Michi goes to visit his apartment and finds him distracted and aloof; in the middle of their conversation, he casually makes a noose out of a length of rope, goes into another room, and hangs himself. Michi and her colleagues ponder why Taguchi committed suicide but cannot find any answers. Inspecting the computer disk he left behind, they discover it contains an image of Taguchi staring at his own computer monitor, which is displaying an image of Taguchi staring at his computer monitor, creating an endless series of images. Zooming in on a dormant monitor beside Taguchi's primary monitor, Michi and her friends discover a ghostly face staring out into Taguchi's room, though he appears to be alone. Yabe later receives a phone-call that seems to be of Taguchi saying "Help me", over and over, so he goes to his deceased colleague's apartment and sees a ghostly black image imprinted on the wall where Taguchi died. Nearby, he notices a door sealed up with red tape; entering it, Yabe encounters a ghost, who corners him in the room; Yabe shows up at work later that day depressed an uncommunicative, and ultimately takes to hiding in his apartment. When Michi finally goes to check on him, she discovers that he has dissolved into a black mark on the wall similar to the one that appeared when Taguchi died. Michi and Junko are soon alone at work, their boss having also disappeared. Doors with red-tape are cropping up all over Tokyo
; when Junko enters one of them, she is attacked by a ghost. Michi rescues her, but the encounter proves too traumatic for Junko, who begins having a nervous breakdown and, having lost the will to live, dissolves into ash.
The other storyline features Ryosuke (Haruhiko Katô), an economics student who has recently signed up to a new Internet Service Provider
. Once he successfully accesses the internet, his computer begins accessing websites by itself, showing him a series of disturbing images of people alone in dark rooms, either standing completely stationary or writhing around on the floor. At the end of the series of images is a black screen with the text, "Do you want to meet a ghost?" That night, night, Ryosuke wakes up to find his computer accessing the internet on its own. The next day he asks a fellow student for advice; Harue Karasawa (Koyuki
), a computer expert, overhears this conversation and suggests he either bookmark the page or print the images for her to examine. Ryosuke attempts to follow her advice the next time his computer accesses the internet itself, but finds that it will not follow his commands. Ryosuke watches as a video begins to play of a man with a plastic bag on his head standing in a room with the words "HELP ME" written over and over again on the walls. Ryosuke gets in touch with Harue again, but she is unable to come up with an explanation. While consulting her, he watches a computer simulation of life in Japan: Numerous dots float around a black void, almost never touching; if the dots come too close together, they are destroyed, but moving too far away from another dot compels them towards one another. A fellow student, Yoshizaki, mentions the appearance of ghostly looking people around campus and explains his theory that the place where souls go to is full and that they have begun to invade the physical world.
As more and more people begin to vanish, evacuations of Tokyo begin. Michi goes to a local shop, which is empty, save for a ghostly man lurking behind the counter. Ryosuke visits a video arcade
, which is packed with other people, but when he goes there a few days later it is empty, apart from an apparition. Harue vanishes, and Ryosuke drifts aimlessly around a desolate Tokyo, where he meets Michi, whose car has broken down. They try to find Harue. She turns up in an abandoned factory, where she shoots herself in front of them. They drive away, but not before Ryosuke stops to obtain fuel and wanders through a door sealed up with red tape. He encounters a ghost who explains that "death was eternal loneliness". Ryosuke seemingly loses the will to live, and Michi has to drag him to safety. They drive through a burning Tokyo, encountering numerous apocalyptic
scenes: the sky turns black; a military cargo plane crashes out of the sky; and people leap to their deaths from tall buildings. The pair finally find a ship about to depart Tokyo, crewed by a small group of survivors who tell them that similar events are happening all over the world. As the ship heads for Latin America
, Ryosuke and Michi go below deck, where Ryosuke disintegrates into ash
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Kiyoshi Kurosawa
is a Japanese filmmaker. He is best known for his many contributions to the Japanese horror genre.-Biography:Born in Kobe on July 19, 1955, Kiyoshi Kurosawa is not related to director Akira Kurosawa...
. The film was based on his novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
of the same name, and was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2005
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
as Pulse. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival
2001 Cannes Film Festival
The 2001 Cannes Film Festival started on May 14 and ran until May 25. The Palme d'Or went to the Italian film The Son's Room by Nanni Moretti.-Jury:* Liv Ullmann, President * Mimmo Calopresti * Charlotte Gainsbourg...
. The movie has a cult following
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
and was the subject of a 2006 English language remake, also titled Pulse (with two sequels).
Plot
The plot centers on ghosts invading the world of the living via the Internet. The film is a philosophical exploration into the alienationSocial alienation
The term social alienation has many discipline-specific uses; Roberts notes how even within the social sciences, it “is used to refer both to a personal psychological state and to a type of social relationship”...
and loneliness
Loneliness
Loneliness is an unpleasant feeling in which a person feels a strong sense of emptiness and solitude resulting from inadequate levels of social relationships. However, it is a subjective experience...
of modern existence due to technology. Communication breakdown and isolation are the main themes of the film. The film features two parallel story lines.
The first storyline involves a young woman named Kudo Michi (Kumiko Aso) who works at a plant sales company. She has recently moved to the city and her main friends are her three colleagues; Sasano Junko, Toshio Yabe and Taguchi. At the start of the film, it appears Taguchi has been missing for some days working on a computer disk. Michi goes to visit his apartment and finds him distracted and aloof; in the middle of their conversation, he casually makes a noose out of a length of rope, goes into another room, and hangs himself. Michi and her colleagues ponder why Taguchi committed suicide but cannot find any answers. Inspecting the computer disk he left behind, they discover it contains an image of Taguchi staring at his own computer monitor, which is displaying an image of Taguchi staring at his computer monitor, creating an endless series of images. Zooming in on a dormant monitor beside Taguchi's primary monitor, Michi and her friends discover a ghostly face staring out into Taguchi's room, though he appears to be alone. Yabe later receives a phone-call that seems to be of Taguchi saying "Help me", over and over, so he goes to his deceased colleague's apartment and sees a ghostly black image imprinted on the wall where Taguchi died. Nearby, he notices a door sealed up with red tape; entering it, Yabe encounters a ghost, who corners him in the room; Yabe shows up at work later that day depressed an uncommunicative, and ultimately takes to hiding in his apartment. When Michi finally goes to check on him, she discovers that he has dissolved into a black mark on the wall similar to the one that appeared when Taguchi died. Michi and Junko are soon alone at work, their boss having also disappeared. Doors with red-tape are cropping up all over Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
; when Junko enters one of them, she is attacked by a ghost. Michi rescues her, but the encounter proves too traumatic for Junko, who begins having a nervous breakdown and, having lost the will to live, dissolves into ash.
The other storyline features Ryosuke (Haruhiko Katô), an economics student who has recently signed up to a new Internet Service Provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
. Once he successfully accesses the internet, his computer begins accessing websites by itself, showing him a series of disturbing images of people alone in dark rooms, either standing completely stationary or writhing around on the floor. At the end of the series of images is a black screen with the text, "Do you want to meet a ghost?" That night, night, Ryosuke wakes up to find his computer accessing the internet on its own. The next day he asks a fellow student for advice; Harue Karasawa (Koyuki
Koyuki
, better known as , is a Japanese model and actress.Koyuki was born in Zama. She started her modeling career in 1995 and has since starred in various Japanese dramas, TV and magazine ad campaigns and films. She frequently appears in Japanese print and television campaigns for the electronics...
), a computer expert, overhears this conversation and suggests he either bookmark the page or print the images for her to examine. Ryosuke attempts to follow her advice the next time his computer accesses the internet itself, but finds that it will not follow his commands. Ryosuke watches as a video begins to play of a man with a plastic bag on his head standing in a room with the words "HELP ME" written over and over again on the walls. Ryosuke gets in touch with Harue again, but she is unable to come up with an explanation. While consulting her, he watches a computer simulation of life in Japan: Numerous dots float around a black void, almost never touching; if the dots come too close together, they are destroyed, but moving too far away from another dot compels them towards one another. A fellow student, Yoshizaki, mentions the appearance of ghostly looking people around campus and explains his theory that the place where souls go to is full and that they have begun to invade the physical world.
As more and more people begin to vanish, evacuations of Tokyo begin. Michi goes to a local shop, which is empty, save for a ghostly man lurking behind the counter. Ryosuke visits a video arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
, which is packed with other people, but when he goes there a few days later it is empty, apart from an apparition. Harue vanishes, and Ryosuke drifts aimlessly around a desolate Tokyo, where he meets Michi, whose car has broken down. They try to find Harue. She turns up in an abandoned factory, where she shoots herself in front of them. They drive away, but not before Ryosuke stops to obtain fuel and wanders through a door sealed up with red tape. He encounters a ghost who explains that "death was eternal loneliness". Ryosuke seemingly loses the will to live, and Michi has to drag him to safety. They drive through a burning Tokyo, encountering numerous apocalyptic
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
scenes: the sky turns black; a military cargo plane crashes out of the sky; and people leap to their deaths from tall buildings. The pair finally find a ship about to depart Tokyo, crewed by a small group of survivors who tell them that similar events are happening all over the world. As the ship heads for Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, Ryosuke and Michi go below deck, where Ryosuke disintegrates into ash
Cast
- Haruhiko Katô – Ryosuke Kawashima (Bahamas)
- Kumiko Aso – Michi Kudo
- KoyukiKoyuki, better known as , is a Japanese model and actress.Koyuki was born in Zama. She started her modeling career in 1995 and has since starred in various Japanese dramas, TV and magazine ad campaigns and films. She frequently appears in Japanese print and television campaigns for the electronics...
– Harue Karasawa - Kurume Arisaka – Junko Sasano
- Masatoshi Matsuo – Toshio Yabe
- Shinji Takeda – Yoshizaki
- Shun Sugata – Boss
- Kenji Mizuhashi – Taguchi
- Koji Yakusho – Ship captain