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Kairo (2001)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
9 November 2005 (USA) moreTagline:
Yûrei ni aitai desu ka? (Do you want to meet a ghost?)Plot:
Japanese university students investigate a series of suicides linked to an Internet Web cam that promises visitors the chance to interact with the dead. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
2 wins & 1 nomination moreNewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Tokyo Sonata - Trailer (From LateFilmFull. 20 April 2009, 11:38 PM, PDT)
Sfiaaff 2009: Kiyoshi Kurosawa—Serpent’s Path & Eyes of the Spider
(From Twitch. 19 February 2009, 12:03 AM, PST)
User Comments:
This film is not for everyone---I found it VERY tough going moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Haruhiko Katô | ... | Ryosuke Kawashima | |
| Kumiko Aso | ... | Michi Kudo | |
| Koyuki | ... | Harue Karasawa | |
| Kurume Arisaka | ... | Junko Sasano | |
| Masatoshi Matsuo | ... | Toshio Yabe | |
| Shinji Takeda | ... | Yoshizaki | |
| Jun Fubuki | ... | Michi's mother | |
| Shun Sugata | ... | Boss | |
| Sho Aikawa | ... | Employee | |
| Kôji Yakusho | ... | Ship Captain | |
| Kenji Mizuhashi | ... | Taguchi | |
| Takumi Tanji | ... | Man with Bag | |
| Hassei Takano | ... | Student A | |
| Atsushi Yuki | ... | Student B | |
| Go Takashima | ... | Student C |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for some violent images.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
118 min | Hong Kong:119 minCountry:
JapanLanguage:
JapaneseColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
DolbyCertification:
UK:15 | USA:Not Rated | Germany:12 | Australia:MA (2006) | New Zealand:R13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Singapore:PG | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB (DVD rating) | South Korea:15Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The shot of a woman leaping off the side of a building is a relatively simple combination of careful editing, computer graphics, and stunt work. As director Kiyoshi Kurosawa explains it, a stunt-woman was filmed bungee jumping off the rooftop, followed by a dummy dressed in the same clothes; the two shots were edited together and the bungee cord digitally erased. moreSoundtrack:
Hane Lay Down My Arms moreFAQ
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This film is about a gap that exists between the real world and the world of the dead. There's a lot of mumbo-jumbo about the internet (i.e., if you install a program on the computer, you see dead folks--much like if you play a videotape you'll die in RINGU). Frankly, most of this seemed rather silly and lost me. What I did find interesting is the idea that the dead live within their own separate existence--being totally alone for eternity. This was sobering and fascinating.
I love Japanese films and have seen a huge number compared to most Americans. However, one genre that has become popular in recent years that I just can't relate to very well are these horror films. I know they are super popular--especially since they seem to be remade so often in the States. I've seen both RINGU as well as THE RING, JU-ON and THE GRUDGE and was rather ambivalent despite their popularity. About the only recent horror film I really liked from Japan was SEANCE--a reworking of the great British film, SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON. And what, do I think, made SEANCE different? Well, unlike the other films as well as KAIRO, gobs and gobs of money weren't spent on special effects or trying to scare the audience--instead, the emphasis was on the story. The bottom line is that these other films are a lot like American films like HALLOWEEN or Friday 13th--with scary things jumping out just to scare the audience and plot is purely secondary (at best). For me, I want story--not cheap thrills or ghosts as the primary focus of the film.
With a relatively high rating, I know I am in the minority, but I just don't find this a very satisfying film. All too often, minor things occur that might startle someone slightly--but the characters begin screaming and crying and acting as if to say "this is the scariest film ever made so you'd better start shaking". Well, I think it just tries too hard and I wish it had focused more on the afterlife seen at the end of the film and plot progression--not scare tactics.