Kiyoshi Kurosawa Is Back Online In U.S. Trailer for Cloud

What a pleasure it is to see Kiyoshi Kurosawa in his Hong Sangsoo period. The typically prolific filmmaker had an especially verdant 2024: his all-killer, no-filler Chime; Serpent’s Path, a plenty worthy remake of his major 1998 feature; and Cloud, which seems entrenched in his horror roots until it turns into a full-bore action picture. After its fall-festival play, Cloud begins a U.S. run on July 18 from Janus Films and Sideshow, ahead of which comes a new trailer.

Here’s the synopsis: “A stylish, subversive thriller from suspense-maverick Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Pulse), concerning Yoshii, an ambitious, yet directionless, young factory worker from Tokyo who side hustles in the murky realm of black market reselling, cheating buyers and sellers alike. After swindling his way into loads of cash, he becomes slowly disconnected to humanity, moving out of the city, shunning his girlfriend, and hiring a devoted assistant. But after a series of mysterious, sinister incidents occur, he begins to suspect his former victims could be plotting the ultimate revenge. A master of carefully simmering tension to a bloody crescendo, Kurosawa delivers a searing portrait of digital greed and vengeance.”

As Rory O’Connor said in his Venice review, “We might not be quite into late-period Kurosawa just yet, but after four decades behind the camera there are already signs of that same lack of fuss to his filmmaking. Just watch the opening sequence of Cloud, which delivers a full psychological profile of the film’s protagonist before even a title card appears. This sequence sees our dubiously motivated reseller flip a haul of medical equipment: ruthlessly haggling the seller down; meticulously setting up the listing; and then the anxious wait, first as he hovers over the sale price and then watching from afar as the products get snapped up, one by one; letting out a small, haunting sigh of ecstasy as the final item turns from white to red.”

Find the preview and poster below, and read our interview with Kurosawa on the film: