Restore the rules of the world or destroy them?

Like most people... I'm not clear about this one...

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's enigmatic masterpiece!

Jun Fubuki and Kôji Yakusho in Charisma (1999)

Yoriko Dôguchi and Kôji Yakusho in Charisma (1999)

Kôji Yakusho

Hiroyuki Ikeuchi

Ren Ôsugi

Kiyoshi Kurosawa

A seasoned detective is called in to rescue a politician held hostage by a lunatic. In a brief moment of uncertainty, he misses the chance for action. Leaving his job and family without explanation, he makes his way to a mountain ...

Karisuma

A strange but nonetheless hypnotic film

This is one of the strangest, complex films I&apos;ve ever seen. When you read the synopsis, you&apos;ll probably realise that the writer and director, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, is working on many different levels, and you&apos;ll equally stay involved with the story due to the outstanding visuals. Kurosawa&apos;s camera work is typically brilliant, allowing the viewer to escape into the mysterious rural Japanese landscape.

Part philosophical drama, part social study, part ecological investigation, part surrealistic, Kafkaesque black comedy, Kurosawa has clearly crafted a film that demands repeated viewings. My first viewing was focused on the ecological themes present throughout the film; the whole idea of man&apos;s control over nature, without realising that nature doesn&apos;t reason. It just is. Applying Spinozan logic, nature is the infinite essence of the universe and doesn&apos;t need controlling. Nature doesn&apos;t act out of emotion and reason; it is perfect and simply is. There&apos;s just so much more thematic material open to interpretation so it&apos;s hard to place one specific genre to the film, but Kurosawa skillfully builds up disturbing dramatic moments with his trademark perfect camera work, boasting stellar cinematography of the Japanese landscape.

The film might not be my favourite, but &apos;Charisma&apos; is certainly up there as one of Kurosawa&apos;s best films. If you&apos;re interested in strange but nonetheless interesting examinations of reality, then be sure to check this one out.

This is one of the strangest, complex films I've ever seen. When you read the synopsis, you'll probably realise that the writer and director, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, is working on many different levels, and you'll equally stay involved with the story due to the outstanding visuals. Kurosawa's camera work is typically brilliant, allowing the viewer to escape into the mysterious rural Japanese landscape.

Part philosophical drama, part social study, part ecological investigation, part surrealistic, Kafkaesque black comedy, Kurosawa has clearly crafted a film that demands repeated viewings. My first viewing was focused on the ecological themes present throughout the film; the whole idea of man's control over nature, without realising that nature doesn't reason. It just is. Applying Spinozan logic, nature is the infinite essence of the universe and doesn't need controlling. Nature doesn't act out of emotion and reason; it is perfect and simply is. There's just so much more thematic material open to interpretation so it's hard to place one specific genre to the film, but Kurosawa skillfully builds up disturbing dramatic moments with his trademark perfect camera work, boasting stellar cinematography of the Japanese landscape.

The film might not be my favourite, but 'Charisma' is certainly up there as one of Kurosawa's best films. If you're interested in strange but nonetheless interesting examinations of reality, then be sure to check this one out.

A seasoned detective is called in to rescue a politician held hostage by a lunatic. In a brief moment of uncertainty, he misses the chance for action. Leaving his job and family without explanation, he makes his way to a mountain forest, where there is a peculiar tree called charisma. Should it be destroyed or protected? People stand divided over this one tree.

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