Pulse Review

Pulse

By Oggy Bleacher

Pulse, written and directed by Japan’s New Wave Ninja Kiyoshi Kurosawa, begins with a metaphysical premise and builds a plot that explores the extreme result of that premise. Kurosawa asks, “What motivates ghosts? IS it the same as what motivates humans?” Both the premise and the plot are decidedly Japanese. Translation: This is not Friday the 13th Part XI.

So what is Pulse? It fits into the horror art film genre, meaning it is abstract and open to interpretation. Kurosawa himself admits he treats the filming and editing process as part of the film’s creation. He does not know how it will all turn out in the end. Good thing he has flexible producers and investors. If, for instance, a woman climbs to the top of an abandoned factory tower and jumps to her death, the audience may or may not have any idea why that happened. Kurosawa might not either, but it somehow fits the mood he is looking for so the scene remains. Though chillingly realistic and upsetting, these scenes won’t necessarily help you understand the film. There is no final scene like the wedding ring dropping in The Sixth Sense or seeing the skeletal remains of Norman Bates’ mother to make you gasp with illumination. Instead, you will be trying to figure out Pulse days later. That’s because Kurosawa wasn’t thinking of the average American living in Chicago when he conceived Pulse. Be prepared to think Japanese. Or at least be prepared to stop thinking like an American. Japanese traditions and societal habits have much to do with the impact of Pulse on the viewer. If you have no understanding of what it is like to live in an overcrowded environment yet have no intimate contact with people then Pulse will seem even more irrelevant to you.

The images and ideas of Pulse have early Stanley Kubrick written all over them: Cold settings, forbidden rooms, inexplicable depression, abandoned friends, shifting personalities, desperation, and regret. Like Kubrick, Kurosawa never settles for an obvious framing of the scene. He expects the best out of all his cast, though the acting is perhaps the weakest point of the film. Pay close attention to the amazing score from Takeshi Haketa. Haunting, to say the least. See Pulse with an open mind and you will be rewarded.

Pulse

NY Opening 11/9 LA Opening 11/18

Cast: Haruhiko Kato, Kumiko Aso, Koyuki

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

In Japanese with English subtitles

MPAA Rating: NR

Runtime: 118 minutes

Release Company: Magnolia Pictures