Kairo (2001)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Writer:

Kiyoshi Kurosawa (writer)

Release Date:

9 November 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Yûrei ni aitai desu ka? (Do you want to meet a ghost?)

Plot:

Japanese university students investigate a series of suicides linked to an Internet Web cam that promises visitors the chance to interact with the dead.

Plot Keywords:

Internet | Shadow | Alone | Forbidden Room | One Word Title

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Haruhiko Katô	...	Ryosuke Kawashima
Kumiko Aso	...	Michi Kudo
Koyuki	...	Harue Karasawa
Kurume Arisaka	...	Junko Sasano
Masatoshi Matsuo	...	Toshio Yabe
Shinji Takeda	...	Yoshizaki
Jun Fubuki	...	Michi's mother
Shun Sugata	...	Boss
Sho Aikawa	...	Employee
Kôji Yakusho	...	Ship Captain
Kenji Mizuhashi	...	Taguchi
Takumi Tanji	...	Man with Bag
Hassei Takano	...	Student A
Atsushi Yuki	...	Student B
Go Takashima	...	Student C
Kaori Ichijô	...	Girl with Long Hair
Teruo Ono	...	Doroningen
Ken Furusawa	...	Convenience Store Employee
Akiko Kitamura
Zengoro Mamiana
Rie Yasuda
Masayuki Shionoya

Directed by
Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Kiyoshi Kurosawa		writer

Produced by
Yasuyoshi Tokuma	....	executive producer
Hiroshi Yamamoto	....	producer

Original Music by
Takefumi Haketa

Cinematography by
Junichirô Hayashi

Film Editing by
Junichi Kikuchi

Production Design by
Tomoyuki Maruo

Art Department
Yoshihisa Kato	....	digital art director (as Yoshihisa Katô)

Sound Department
Makio Ika	....	sound

Visual Effects by
Shûji Asano	....	visual effects supervisor: Links DigiWorks/Rinkusu DejiWâkusu
Masaru Tateishi	....	CG director
Masaru Tateishi	....	visual effects supervisor

Music Department
Cocco	....	composer: song "Hane"
Toru Wada	....	music producer

Other crew
Takeshi Furusawa	....	assistant to director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Mikiko Koyama	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Daiei Eiga

Distributors

• Toho Company (2001) (worldwide) (all media)
• Euripide Distribution (France)
• Madman Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
• Magnolia Pictures (2005) (USA) (all media)
• Optimum Releasing (2006) (UK) (DVD)
• Pioneer LDC (2001) (Japan) (DVD)
• Universe Laser & Video Co. Ltd. (Hong Kong) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Links Digiworks (CGI)

Also Known As:

Pulse (International: English title)
The Circuit

MPAA:

Rated R for some violent images.

Runtime:

118 min | Hong Kong:119 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:15 | USA:Not Rated | Germany:12 | Australia:MA (2006) | New Zealand:R13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Singapore:PG | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB (DVD rating) | South Korea:15

Company:

Daiei Eiga

Trivia:

The shot of a woman leaping off the side of a building is a relatively simple combination of careful editing, computer graphics, and stunt work. As director Kiyoshi Kurosawa explains it, a stunt-woman was filmed bungee jumping off the rooftop, followed by a dummy dressed in the same clothes; the two shots were edited together and the bungee cord digitally erased.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Pulse (2006/I)

Soundtrack:

Hane Lay Down My Arms

A unique Japanese horror film

Kario (Pulse) is unlike any Japanese horror I have seen. As much as I love the Ju-On series, the scares come from creepy ghosts that pop-up from unseen places. They are good movies, but those scares wear off after awhile. However, in Kairo the ghosts don't pop up suddenly and they aren't accompanied by loud music. They are just there and boy are they creepy. Sometimes they do nothing, they just stand there, staring. It creates a feeling of unease and constantly keeps the viewer on edge.

It's not just the ghosts that are unique, the story is incredibly interesting and intelligent. But it is not linear, logical and it doesn't explain everything (it doesn't have to, though). It really leaves it up to us what to decide. This is what is so good about this movie, it's much unlike most horror films. Forget all the recent American horror films, although some are excellent they really aren't like this. This film is almost like a dream in some ways. It goes at a very slow pace (clocking in just under 2 hours) and there aren't a lot of scares. At times the story may seem illogical but I beg to differ.

Kairo is really an apocalyptic horror much like the 2002 British horror film 28 Days Later (just replace zombies with ghosts). Also like 28 Days Later, this film carries a very profound social message but unlike 28 Days Later this one is about loneliness and how people become distant through the use of technology. There's also a heavy emphasis on the evils of suicide.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa has created an intelligent, unique horror film that doesn't quite get the attention it deserves. If your willing to experience movie that will leave your unsettled and weired out afterwards, look no further than Kairo.

4½/5