Cure (1997) [Film Review]

Cure; or, The Ultimate Treatment
     Doctor, can I tell you something? All the things that used to be inside me… now they’re all outside. So, I can see all of the things inside of you, Doctor. But the inside of me is empty.
When thinking about the revival of the J-Horror genre, people often mention such movies as Ring (1998), Audition (1999), and Battle Royale (2000) as responsible for reigniting the interest in scary tales made in Japan. However, I believe that Kiyoshi Kurosawa should not be excluded from receiving the credit. Apart from giving us a ghostly Pulse (2001), he also directed a mystery horror called Cure (1997) with Koji Yakusho in the leading role.

Release Info

Directed by: Kiyoshi Kurosawa Starring: Koji Yakusho, Masato Higawara, Anne Nakagawa

Language: Japanese Original Title: キュア Runtime: 111 min

Synopsis
Detective Takabe (Koji Yaskusho) is investigating a series of strange murders. The culprits are caught after the act and they claim not to know what pushed them to kill a person that was close to them. Every case has one thing in common, the victims died from blood loss resulting from a wound made in the shape of X mark. Suddenly, the police detain a man called Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara) who suffers from memory loss. Takabe is convinced that Mamiya is responsible for the killings because he possesses an extraordinary hypnotic power...

The Beast Within
I have seen Cure while I was on my binge trip through the hallmarks of Japanese Cinema a few good years ago. I went in completely cold without having read anything about the storyline, and I was absolutely amazed by how gripping Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s picture actually is.

First of all, the screenplay is fantastic. From the first few scenes you think that the film is going to play out like an ordinary police procedural, but all of a sudden, things make a U-turn, and we get a morbid tale as if cooked up by Stephen King himself. After the movie ends, you just can’t help but think about all the plot twists! The whole affair is told in a slow, sparing manner, so the viewer really needs to bring all the pieces together.

The cinematography is another interesting aspect. Most of the shots are very static and encompass more than one character in a frame. It reminded me greatly about Memories of Murder (2003) and, after doing some reading, I was surprised to discover that director Boon Joon Ho cites Cure (1997) as one of major inspirations that made him pursue filmmaking.

What is more, I like that Kurosawa does not rely in his movies on overt gore or jumpscares. The unsettling feeling of Cure lies within its mood and themes. The movie provides a brilliant mix of psychoanalysis and hypnosis grounded very neatly within the Japanese convention. In a society that thrives on hierarchy and team work, it is disheartening to see the main protagonist looking after his mentally-ill wife.

With regard to performances, Koji Yakusho evidently dominates the screen with his presence of a righteous cop, but Masato Higawara as the illusive Mamiya is just as awesome. The late Anne Nakagawa is also memorable as Takabe’s wife. I also give a shout out to Tsuyoshi Ujiki as Sakuma, the psychiatrist. His character may be there for exposition purposes only, but he also has a super crazy dream sequence.

Recommendations
If you are in the mood for a psychological examination of the Japanese collective psyche, then I recommend Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cure. Three years ago, the movie was released in Europe on DVD as well as Blu-Ray. When it comes to deep dives into the dark corners of the subconscious, then Cure will not let you down.
Overall score: 9/10

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