Pulse

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Pulse, known in Japan as Kairo (回路?), is a 2001 Japanese horror film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. The film is based on his novel of the same name. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. The movie was well-received critically and holds a cult following. An American remake, also titled Pulse, debuted in 2006 and spawned two sequels. The plot centers on ghosts invading the world of the living via the Internet. The film is a philosophical exploration into the alienation and loneliness of modern existence due to technology. Communication breakdown and isolation are the main themes of the film. The film features two parallel story lines. The first storyline involves a young woman named Kudo Michi (Kumiko Aso) who works at a plant sales company. She has recently moved to the city and her main friends are her three colleagues, Sasano Junko, Toshio Yabe and Taguchi. At the start of the film, it appears Taguchi has been missing for some days...

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Pulse

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7.7 Great
Rated by 3 people
  • MasterCrash MasterCrash
    MasterCrash wrote his opinion about Pulse
    9 years ago
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    This is my third Japanese movie (Ringu and Hausu being the other two) and so far I haven't really seen why they seem to be regarded as much scarier than the American movies. I dare say that The Ring was actually better than Ringu (bite me) and neither of them are scary at all.

    Well, Kairo isn't what I'd call scary, but it's definitely an improvement over Ringu, it's definitely creepy all the way through, albeit some flaws.
    There's this scene where a ghost slowly walks towards our main character, midways it does some weird dance, and then continues to walk to our character. This is not scary. Weird movement can be scary, but that's when it's a inhumane movement. This was just silly.
    What I think are the best scenes in this movie are when they see other people through the computer screens. They all seem so dark, lonely and creepy, yet, I'm sure if someone was to film me, or most people in the computer, that's what it would look like. Just some people staring blankly at a screen.
    • MasterCrash
      Saved!
      MasterCrash
      Editing … There's also the black stain that people leave in the wall... At some point in the movie I recalled that I had read that, when the atomic bombs hit, some people's shadows got engraved in the walls, like a picture of their last moments, thanks to the radiation, and since the movie ends with a post-apocalyptic scenario, I wonder if the stains in the wall aren't related to that. Throughout the entire movie there's one topic "loneliness" and it's a topic I generally relate and like to explore. I remember adoring the indie game "Loneliness" (which is available free on browser and I recommend everyone checking out, it will only take a couple moments of your life) and I like writing my own little stories which more often than not are about loneliness in one way or another, but I just didn't felt invested in the topic here... Personally I don't think it was that well done. But in the end I enjoyed the dark atmosphere and sounds a lot. Specially the electronic sounds, those were the scariest ever!
      9 years ago
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Alternative Names

Kairo
回路

Movie Info

Released Yes

Actors

Kumiko Aso
Kumiko Aso

Page Info

Created 2013-08-17 04:11 pm
Page creator Michael Z
Views 765
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