PERFECT ACTING. Koji Yakusho excels in the starring role as Detective Takabe, a titular character crucial for developing the film's themes. (Fair use image from Flim at Lincoln Center, flimlinc.org)
On March 20, 1995, thirteen people died due to a toxic chemical known as sarin that was released onto three lines of the Tokyo Metro by members of the Japanese cult movement Aum Shinrikyo. Nearly thirty years later, the event is known as the Tokyo subway sarin attacks and is regarded as one of the most horrific acts of Japanese domestic terrorism ever recorded.
Almost three years later, on December 27, 1997, Kiyoshi Kurosawa released his twentieth feature film, the genre-ambiguous and tormenting “Cure.” At face value, “Cure” is a terrifying tale of a hypnotic psychopath ravaging metropolitan Tokyo by inducing ten people to commit a horrific murder with a signature “X” across their throat. The film follows Detective Kenichi Takabe (Koji Yakusho) and his investigation into a series of seemingly unrelated murders in Tokyo. He uncovers that Kunio Mayami (Masato Hagiwara) is hypnotizing ordinary people into murdering those closest to them.
Even by this measure, it would be a phenomenal film. What brings “Cure” above straightforward, high-quality horror films like “Lights Out” (2016), “Long Legs” (2024), and “Scream” (1996) is the more profound meanings the film has in store. The ideology ascends “Cure” to the ranks of true masterpieces alongside Kubrick’s magnum opus “The Shining” (1980), Carpenter’s “The Thing” (1982), and Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” (1973).
Part of my goal in Off-Screen with Ostrem was to introduce readers to new perspectives from the film kaleidoscope, whether arthouse films, foreign films, or under-represented works. Although “Cure” is highly discussed in film circles, it’s still not talked about nearly enough by the general American public.
Let’s go back to the beginning: the history of the Tokyo subway sarin attacks. I mentioned it because those attacks have been linked to some of the thematics behind “Cure,” and knowledge of this event is essential to understanding the mentality of the film. Kurosawa evokes this through his often visual usage of a character walking through a train tunnel, stating the thematic influence of the killings. “Cure” paints a nihilistic picture of humanity’s morality, using Tokyo and its surrounding area as a microcosm for Kurosawa’s worldview.
The film is about the hole of despair and evil at the core of society; at least, that’s what Kurosawa believes. America was built on slavery, Paris was built upon literal tombs, and almost every major contemporary civilization was founded as a result of war or violence. This reality is often swept under the rug in favor of romanticization and so-called national glory; Kurosawa pulls this rug out from under our very feet, a reminder of the collective nucleus of evil.
“Cure” tells us that there is some form of evil inside everybody, and all it takes is a little push to commit the horrific acts seen in the film. Mayami (the film’s antagonist) takes a hands-off approach to the killing spree, simply using a cigarette lighter or dripping water to send ordinary people into a state of hypnosis, causing them to commit horrendous acts in the spine-tingling calm manner that we see in the film. Mayami represents the little push Kurosawa believes most ordinary people need to go over the edge, with the film depicting an endless void of horror lurking below societal politeness.
The film’s opening scene sees detective Takabe’s wife, Fumie Takabe (Anna Nakagawa), reading the French folktale “Bluebeard” at a psychological appointment. “Bluebeard” is a classic myth that features a young woman who marries into a seemingly dream situation with Bluebeard, a wealthy and powerful nobleman in his luxurious and exotic estate. The story later sees the young woman’s “jackpot” become a nightmare as she uncovers the disheveled corpses of Bluebeard’s previous lovers. This storyline in the film serves as a thematic connection to the ugly degeneracy right below the surface. From Kurosawa’s perspective, society is Bluebeard, the viewer is the young woman, and the corpses in the closest are the evil within. It’s a brilliant way of developing and encapsulating the film’s themes.
“Mesmerism and the End of the Enlightenment in France” is a textbook title seen at the home of Mayami. It is another literary work that connects directly to the thematic meaning of “Cure.” The French Enlightenment was a revolutionary movement spanning 130 years, from 1685 to 1815. It was a period of searching for truth, questioning ideas, equality, and promoting freedom of speech. Mesmerism is a theory invented by German doctor and thinker Franz Mesmer; it is the idea of inducing a trance-like state onto a victim, primarily animals. Mesmerism is a theory often referenced in the film, as it resembles what we see Mayami use. The placement of this textbook in Mayamis office provides enormous thematic depth to the film, just like “Bluebeard.” Putting the idea of Mesmerism as the end of the French Enlightenment into the viewer’s head connects to what Kurosawa is trying to tell us, as Mesmerism ending the French Enlightenment is similar to the film’s events. The people Mayami hypnotizes are members of a higher society: doctors, detectives, writers, and businessmen. Mayami strips all this away, down to their bare, humane core, the evil inside.
Mayami possesses an eerie amount of knowledge about his victims’ personal lives, more specifically, an eerie amount of knowledge about the hideous, immoral, impulsive thoughts and reactions that we all own. He sees straight through his victim, into their core, filled with unsavory thoughts. The relationship between Mayami and his victims is the same as the relationship between ‘“Cure” and the viewer. Uncomfortably peeling away all of the layers of inherent goodness and normality, uncovering what is truly hidden inside.
Tying the Tokyo subway sarin attacks back into this idea, the combination of Y2K panic and the attacks caused a sense of nervousness to hang over Tokyo and Japan as a whole. Japanese author Haruki Murakami supported this ideology in his March 1997 book, “Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche” when he wrote: “I feel very strongly that all Japanese at that time had the idea drilled into them of 1999 being the end of the world. Aum renunciates have already accepted, inside themselves, the end of the world.” This provides insight into the general landscape of Japan and where “Cure” falls into place within it.
My favorite quote from the film that encapsulates all the present themes takes place when Takabe and the police are investigating the first murder; one police officer states that: “something like this was bound to happen someday.” Miyami is merely pushing these people over the edge, something that could be done in various simple ways; Miyami is just a representation of them.
While this review focuses on the pessimistic societal portrait the film paints, there are countless other elements the film presents that I could’ve discussed here. The film’s representation of the repression of female intelligence and curiosity and the reflection of psychological evaluations and therapy are other topics I considered writing about.
That’s, in one part, why “Cure” is Kurosawa’s masterpiece. Every single frame is purposeful; everything adds to the overall thematic message. It’s devastating, powerful, and the pinnacle of Japanese horror. Although its nihilism and worldview are disturbing, it’s important to watch the film and form your own organic opinions.