Kiyoshi Kurosawa Discusses Anti-Capitalist Action Film ‘Cloud’

The last time Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa attended the Venice Film Festival, he won the prestigious Best Director award for his period drama, Wife of a Spy. This week, he’s back in Venice with his latest film, Cloud, marking his first foray into action cinema. The movie got a significant boost ahead of its world premiere as Japan selected it as the official entry for the Oscars in the Best International Film category.

The film centers on Ryōsuke Yoshii, portrayed by Masaki Suda in a star-making performance. Yoshii works at a small factory and earns extra cash as an online reseller, flipping various items like medical devices, handbags, and collectible figurines. Over time, he starts to distance himself from those around him, including an old friend who introduced him to reselling, his considerate boss, and other people he interacts with both online and offline. As unsettling occurrences increase around him, Yoshii flees the city with his girlfriend, played by Amane Okayama, to a lakeside house. There, he hires a seemingly simple-minded local, portrayed by Daiken Okudaira, as his sales assistant, but the growing spiral of animosity eventually catches up with him.

Kurosawa, known for his past accolades, including Best Director wins at Cannes and Rome, shared insights with The Hollywood Reporter via Zoom before arriving in Venice to discuss the making of his 29th feature film.

The inspiration for this project stemmed not from a thematic viewpoint but from Kurosawa’s longstanding desire to create an action film. He stated that action is a genre deeply embedded in cinema history, but making one set in contemporary Japan presented unique logistical and financial challenges. His ambition was to focus on ordinary people rather than the typical protagonists of Japanese action films like Yakuza, cops, or defense forces. These ordinary individuals, who have no ties to violence in their daily lives, are thrust into life-or-death situations, demanding extreme measures for survival. Crafting a story that believably placed ordinary people in such extraordinary circumstances was the biggest challenge for Kurosawa.

Choosing to make the protagonist an online reseller had a personal connection for Kurosawa, as he knows someone involved in this line of work. This person operates in a gray area, where their activities are legal but often skirting ethical edges. Constantly diligent in their work, they symbolize contemporary capitalism—navigating a system without standout talents or wealth. Kurosawa found this occupation a powerful metaphor for our times, as it mirrors large corporations’ operations on a smaller scale, often with lesser regard for ethical boundaries.

In the film, the quest for profit increasingly consumes Yoshii, leading him to have less concern for the impact of his activities on others, including his closest relationships. Initially, his actions don’t seem so unreasonable, but as the horror elements unfold, the audience is nudged to question his behavior and culpability, revealing an embedded critique that becomes more evident as the film progresses into an outright action flick. Kurosawa appreciated this interpretation, feeling validated in making the film.

The assistant character, played by Daiken Okudaira, wasn’t based on a real person but emerged from a genre necessity. Kurosawa wanted a character who appears ordinary but carries hidden, unsettling capabilities for violence. Okudaira brought his own mysterious energy to the role, making the character enigmatic and impactful. To Kurosawa, the assistant represents a devil-like figure, making a subtle, almost invisible contract with the protagonist, offering both happiness and despair in equal measure.

Kurosawa agreed with the interpretation of the assistant as a logical endpoint of unchecked capitalism, turning someone into an unfeeling gangster. The film’s final scene between the protagonist and the assistant encapsulates this idea, leaving interpretation open to viewers.

While the story is set in contemporary Japan and reflects modern Japanese society, Kurosawa’s critique extends beyond local issues. He acknowledges that many countries face widening gaps between rich and poor, resulting in a middle class feeling increasingly cornered and desperate. The sense of urgency to act before losing everything permeates society, a feeling Kurosawa aimed to capture in the film.

When asked about his future ambitions, Kurosawa said he never mapped out a specific career trajectory. The richness of cinematic expression drives him, and no film he makes ever feels perfect or complete. With each film, cinema itself becomes more elusive, always one step ahead. This constant pursuit to understand cinema keeps him going, a desire he imagines will continue until his dying day.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter