Cure (1997)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Cure (1997) – K. Kurosawa

On the surface, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s serial killer thriller is just that, a police procedural slash horror film along the lines of Seven (1995), taking place in a spooky decrepit Japan that would later show up in J-Horror videogames. Koji Yakusho is the detective who needs to solve the bizarre murders, all featuring an X slashed in the upper chest of the victims, that are strangely committed by different perpetrators who are easily caught and confess but can’t quite remember their own motives.  Beneath the surface, there are much deeper themes and preoccupations; the film is complex and each viewer might just have their own interpretation of what happens.  Eventually, the investigation settles on the mysterious amnesiac, Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara), who refuses to answer any questions but shows a keen interest in asking questions of others. His questions seem to seek to uncover deep resentments in those he encounters and Detective Takabe (Yakusho) is not immune to such prodding, since his wife suffers from a serious mental illness and may represent a burden to him. As the film progresses, we begin to worry that Takabe himself is losing his grip, a cliché in this genre but the supernatural overtones in this case add an extra layer of dread on top of the despair. As in some of his subsequent films, Kurosawa seems to be questioning the ability for humans to really connect with each other, to transcend their selfish and even petty individual preoccupations and bond. Even when organised as a society, the implication here is that “hell is other people” with social interactions and expectations leading to perceived slights and buried resentments. But the film never says any of this explicitly – we never know Mamiya’s motives – and even after the film winds down to its inevitable conclusion, we are treated to one final scene that manages to leave things open-ended. Dark and dismaying but a treat for fans of this genre.