This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Medhansh’s review published on Letterboxd:
This review may contain spoilers.
Director- Kurosawa Kiyoshi.
This is the tenth film I have seen by Kurosawa, and the more I see of him, the more I am in awe of his versatility.
This is the first eco-thriller that I have seen and loved.
This film is five stars for me not because this film is exceptional but because of how many interpretations I have derived from this film.
This is a masterclass in surreal filmmaking and on how to make an accessible introspective work.
This time around, Kurosawa tries to create an existential drama with his typical shot choices, which prevent us from getting closer to the characters.
This time around, though, it works even better than it has in others, as we can truly introspect when we are in our shoes.
This time the film follows the protagonist played by the muse of Kiyoshi, Yakusho Koji, who is dealing with having a neutral standpoint.
The film's content isn't horror but still, its atmosphere is of such a nature as its editing was done by Kikuchi Junichi who has worked on films like Door, Pulse, the Crazy Family, etc.
The film's editing is on the fine line of building suspense but not enough to get a rise out of us. It's of a nature that takes a step back and allows the other aspects to shine brighter.
The film's atmospheric feel is also because its cinematography was done by Hayashi Junichiro who has worked on Ringu, Pulse, Dark Water, Karem the Possession, etc. They both worked excellently together to elevate the subject matter to new heights.
The film according to me is against the neutral standpoint that one takes on several occasions and considers it as shirking one's responsibilities.
This can be seen at the start of the film when the protagonist not killing the criminal ended badly for him.
Another example would be when the protagonist was stuck in a burning car.
The main premise itself revolves around neutrality and indecisiveness.
Charisma is the name of the tree which is the crux of the plot.
The tree is a barren one and is the reason why the forest has no greenery. There are two factions in the film where one wants to uproot the tree so that the ecosystem can be saved while the other has people who want to save it.
The protagonist is someone who has escaped to the forest to move away from city life due to not having anything to go back to or so he believes. He is in the forest for peace but is not finding it due to the constant struggle occurring in the forest.
Throughout the film, the protagonist becomes a more active part of what goes around him.
The tree charisma might also be representative of a man, whose roots run deep within the ground and thus has lived a long life. Such a person has many layers of himself hiding within him.
Thus it could be about the protagonist's trying to find himself deep within all the layers. He has now been clouded by the life he has led leading him to forget himself. He must now find the true him so he can finally come to terms with his situation and thus, move on with his life.
The protagonist though, must remember that the deeper one goes, the harder it is to come back to the surface. We will always be in conflict with ourselves and thus will never stop introspecting and trying to find a new true us.
The tree could also be representative of how one could be poison for one's surroundings due to not being a good fit. It is about how one's choice of making things work when they are never going to will only result in the poisoning of the environment with waste laid by desperation and not looking at the truth.
The term, "rules of the world" may be representing that we must bring back the era where not one person had the sole power of everything. I.e. a more just world that is free from dictatorship.
The tree being denoted the name Charisma made me feel that it could be talking about a charismatic leader. The leader is solely standing due to his charisma while his roots are spreading poison within the land. The two factions could be considered as two rival parties with one supporting the leader's reign while the other wants a new era under a new ruler.
The film tells us that one must kill the root cause of such evil. Even when it is killed, another rose instead but he lacks the charisma that made the first one as successful. The new tree rising symbolizes that one can kill a tree, but can't kill its seeds (ideas).
It could mean that no matter what we do, it's a never-ending cycle but we can alleviate the poison by taking the right steps.
The poisonous roots could symbolize that what we see is only part of the whole with important aspects that could alter our perception, being hidden from us.
