Cure

by Dominic Lash

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 1997 psychological horror, Cure, follows a detective (played by Koji Yakusho) as he investigates a string of gruesome murders in Tokyo, where each victim has an 'X' carved into their neck.

Dominic Lash provides an in-depth analysis of Cure's themes, generic conventions, cinematography, editing, mise-en-scène, sound, and legacy. In examining the film's aesthetics he highlights the unique way in which it balances meticulous precision with a persistent and purposeful ambiguity. Lash goes on to situate Cure within its various contexts; firstly, as Kurosawa's 'breakthrough' film following a decade of mostly straight-to-video work and then its position in relation to the J-Horror boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Through a close reading of Cure's key scenes, particularly its final scene, Lash analyses the motivations behind Kurosawa's resistance to a definitive resolution. He argues that, just like its hypnotist antagonist, Mamiya, Cure unsettles some of our basic psychological assumptions. In doing so, he attempts to understand what it is about the film that lingers so disturbingly, long after the credits have rolled.

Genres: Film

104 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2024

Reviews

[Milan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This "review" contains spoilers, I am assuming you're reading this book because you have already seen the movie.

Off the bat, great analysis of the film and it's motifs. I don't have much to add as I agree with a lot of theories here, but I am glad it also goes deeper into Kurosawa's other works, ideas and general filmmaking, such as the geometric elements in his scenes which are very prevalent and most noticeable in Tokyo Sonata in my opinion. There were also some details that I have not noticed before such as the figurines in the hospital & (not sure if this is his name, the person that finds Mamiya?) Hanaoka's house, also the pendulum at the dry cleaner's and the fact that Fumie is not reading Bluebeard, but an analysis of the work, which when translated from Japanese foreshadows the last third of the film.

I am a bit surprised about the fact that some details were completely overlooked, such as the conversation between Mamiya and Fujiwara. I believe this moment really leans more into the idea that Takabe did indeed become what Mamiya was and the others before him. Here, Mamiya snaps out of his amnesia and repeats:

"All right, I’ll ask you again. Fujiwara-of-Headquarters. Who are you?",

Then proceeds to tell Takabe:

“What a bunch. They don’t understand, do they? About me. Or about you. Detective, do you hear my voice? You do, don’t you? That proves you’re a special person. You knew that from the start. So did I. You’re different from them. You’re someone who can understand what I’m really saying.”

Pretty weird to overlook something like this especially since similar themes have been discussed between Mamiya and Takabe previously in the prison and Takabe appeared in Sakuma's vision / dream in the prison in a threatful manner. I want to note that these are not really nitpicks from my side, besides, it's not my analysis and I do not have to agree with it, I am just glad it offered some additional insight and discussion.

One more thing I would like to add, although it might be a reach since Kurosawa himself seems to have misremembered this - Fumie is not in a wheelchair in the scene of her death, see the original trailer at 0:45.This scene does not exist in the movie at all, but in the movie she is moving, in my memory at least, eerily similar to the dress in the dry cleaner. Foreshadowing or no? Funnily enough again, the red dress is also a motif in his later movie Retribution (2006) ;)

I will stop here, because I am not prone to writing in general let alone transferring my thoughts correctly to text (especially without someone by my side to correct me if I am misremembering something as this movie is well beyond intricate), but I did enjoy writing about this film a bit as it's one of my absolute favorites of all time and I could talk about it for days!

[Jeff Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Cure’ is one of a select group of films that get stranger the more one watches them.

So asserts Dominic Lash in this excellent BFI guide of a film so dark, so complex that it also belongs to that group of films that massively influenced what followed, even if it’s own reputation remains tucked away with ‘those in the know’. ‘Cure’ is not as renowned as ‘Ring’, ‘Grudge’ or other J-Horror films, but it never was going to be – it’s too complex, too ambiguous for the mass market, and yet, as one review on Letterboxd summed it up, the film has “The ability to make a large sheet of paper, wafting through the wind, one of the most horrifying things you’ve ever seen in a movie”.

Like the film, this book offers no answers, but points in directions to follow, things to consider, and cinematically, beautiful additions to the filmcraft that are easily missed on first viewing. I’ve said before that the mark of a great BFI Guide, is that it makes you want to watch the film again – which is exactly what I’m about to do, because “…Cure [is] one of the most compelling – and profoundly un-reassuring – films ever made”

[Miguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am very happy there is a BFI book about Cure, but I am put off by the minority of argumentation and theorizing in this book that’s not very good.

It’s still a great, essential read for anyone who wants to think deeper about the film. But I wouldn’t take everything here to the bank.

[Andrew Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good close reading of the film with the bonus of promising footnotes for further research.

[Julien L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opens up the film's spaciousness and ambiguities by presenting multiple readings of it. Excellent film, excellent text. More people need to be on the Kurosawa Train

[Christopher Smol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks Barn! These are always good.