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Charisma (aka: Karisuma) — movie review

by Kris July 22, 2005

dreamlogic.net -- Charisma (aka: Karisuma) -- movie review

Restore the rules of the world… Freedom’s just another disease… A truly healthy human longs to obey… These [magic] mushrooms are delicious!

CAN’T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES? Kiyoshi Kurosawa became one of my favorite filmmakers rather quickly, although it has been a bumpy ride. I was enthralled by Cure, regrettably rushed through Kairo (aka: Pulse or Circuit), gleefully devoured Doppelgänger and Bright Future. Admittedly, I had to view the former in installments, periodically accessing the “rewind button of the mind” to comb through the surreal scenes and character histories, trying to convince myself that I wasn’t further confusing myself with over-analyzation. Let me just say that if you’re unfamiliar with or not a fan of Japanese cinema (or otherwise seduced and bagged by Michael Bay flicks where the camera swirls incessantly as if the POV is a housefly’s), the lackadaisical pacing and vague gestalt may frustrate you… but even if you have to watch it in installments or twice/thrice, it’s worth it.

dreamlogic.net -- Charisma (aka: Karisuma) -- movie review Okay, Charisma starts off like this: Detective Goro Yabuike (Koji Yakusho, the wavy bouffant with the kind eyes) slips into the obscurity of routine and fatigue, exhausted from insomnia and some possible unannounced domestic burden. He makes a tragic mistake, costing him his badge and the lives of a hostage and a detainee who pleads with him to “restore the rules of the world”. Suddenly, his world is tossed into chaos when he realizes that he failed doing the only thing he could rely on–his job. Instead of the conventional route home, he chooses to remain estranged from family and friends and spends the night in a seemingly secluded forest. He awakes to find his charred car and driver, left to wander through his reluctant new freedom alone. Don’t worry, he isn’t alone for long, in fact soon he’s the crown prince and Sheriff of this macabre place, realizing slowly that every creature who inhabits it is counting on him to uphold the unspoken rules. But whose rules will he govern?

Yabuike (and you) struggle to determine who and what to believe in this bizarre forest. Will it be the poachers who attempt to steal rare arbors for lucrative gain.. an idealistic botanist who may be secretly poisoning the irrigation well.. a possibly homicidal young man/devoted paladin a tree (in homage to his “mentor”).. or a sadistic girl who lures him into gin traps and frustration? Also, he has to decide whether or not to rescue the “main character” of the story–the tree named Charisma–which appears withered yet is blamed for sucking the rest of the forest dry with its irresistible intangible prowess and toxic physical sap. Maybe Yabuike should just stick to his guns, so to speak, and trust in himself as an enforcer, although he may have ingested one too many magic mushrooms earlier on in his existential trek and maybe he’s just trippin’.

I think I love the rebel in Kurosawa; that he wants to create an “anti-genre” genre, alienating himself from audience expectations and safe methods. With his mindset, you’re never sure what lurks beyond the seemingly peaceful moments, and an unnerving eclipse forcibly haunts your thoughts, which is a perfect accompaniment to his spooky screenplays. The soundtrack is perfect: strange yet welcome repeat interludes of a clanking calypso-ish melody puncture the visual canvas and appear when Yabuike has met an impass or a revelation. Another thing I love is the cinematography. In Charisma, even the act of gathering wood is captured poetically, rich with highlights and shadow, depth and interest. Simple yet almost unique horizontal pan-and-scan type dolly shots not only follow motion, but soothes your curiosity. And you will be curious.

What’s happening in the corners of Kurosawa’s mind? Just take a peek.