Cloud (dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

By: Adam Freed

Ryôsuke Yoshii is an opportunistic, albeit morally ambiguous, online resale merchant who operates under the screen name Ratel.  From the onset of writer and director Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Japanese language thriller, Cloud, Yoshii presents as an unmistakably likable and ambitious young man.  His knack for the “buy low and sell high” marketplace has a distinctly American flavor to it.  As Ratel, Yoshii flips knockoff handbags, collectable figurines and other standard online goods, always exploiting the highest possible profit margins.  Kurosawa, who has no relation to famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, presents his amiable protagonist as a man whose life is trending upward financially.  That trajectory takes an unfortunate turn when the compounded impact of those he has facelessly defrauded, becomes something from which Yoshii can no longer run.  The internet provides the young reseller an avenue to peddle his wares, but it also dangerously houses the message boards that have grown abuzz with those who seek vengeance for being cheated by the young entrepreneur.  

Although Cloud presents as little more than an interesting character study at its onset, the way in which directorial elder statesman Kiyoshi Kurosawa craftily layers dramatic tension and physical danger into the film feels a callback to his days as a horror director in 1980’s Japan. In this way, Cloud unveils a delightful tonal shift, allowing a 21st century conflict to seek a 20th century solution.  Fans of the 70’s and 80’s work of Charles Bronson and Chuck Norris will be drawn to the way that Cloud artfully works its way toward a violent resolution. Establishing a mood in which no character can be trusted takes a talented director, and Kurosawa’s direction is unquestionably the film’s highlight.  The story of a relatable everyman like Ryôsuke Yoshii is made brighter and bolder by the simplicity and finality with which his conflict is resolved.  

Target Score: 6.5/10 Cloud is one-half cautionary tale and the other half revenge thriller, as the life of online reseller Ryôsuke Yoshii is flipped upside down when those he has defrauded seek retribution.  The film is wonderfully paced and admirably directed by Japan’s Kiyoshi Kurosawa. 

This capsule review of Cloud is included in Movie Archer’ coverage of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival