PULSE

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Stars: Haruhiko Kato, Kumiko Aso, Koyuki, Kurume Arisaka, Masatoshi Matsuo
Year: 2001
Rating: R
(in Japanese w/English subtitles)

Having seen only parts of the American remake of this J(Japanese)-horror film, I was eager to see the original - and, undoubtedly, better done - version; truth be known, even with a decent cast the American version left a lot to be desired. Happily, it's easy to see now what the fuss was about with this well-shot, creepy, and atmospheric film that explores the idea of what happens when the realm that ghosts reside in becomes too full ... and they have no choice but seek other worlds to exist in (namely, ours)?

Like much Asian horror, even though the story of Pulse is told in a linear fashion there may still be some confusion, at times, as to what is going on (the film begs to be seen at least twice, and it worth doing so; you'll pick up much more you didn't notice the first time). Two storylines play out side by side in the film (something not made entirely clear at first, as the film shifts from tale to tale) - one the story of Kawashima (Haruhiko Kato), a computer-illiterate college student in Tokyo, who has just purchased his first computer ... and Michi (Kumiko Aso), a young woman who works in a rooftop greenhouse in Tokyo. The film starts with Michi and her co-worker Junko (Kurume Arisaka), who are both worrying about their friend and fellow employee, a man who has not shown up for work for a few days, and has all but dropped off the radar in general; he doesn't answer phone calls, nor phoned in. Their friend had been working on some project for work, at home, but Michi and Junko are still worried - it's been too long with no contact at all from him - so Michi heads over to the man's home to check on him, as well as retrieve his disk of the project he's been working on for their employer.

Arriving there, Michi finds a darkened, messed up place - and her quiet, introspective co-worker, who assures her he is okay. Pointing her in the general direction of where she can find the disk for work on his cluttered desk, Michi starts trying to hunt down the floppy ... and minutes later, when she goes to tell him she's found it, finds her co-worker and friend hanging from the ceiling's rafters, a suicide. Things go from weird to worse as strange behavior in her co-worker Yabe, as well as in Junko (and even her boss), soon have Michi convinced that something is trying to get them all, and using the internet/computers to do it.

Kawashima, meanwhile, is dealing with internet issues of his own; having downloaded the internet to his new computer and signing on, the computer asks him "Do you want to meet a ghost?" - and without waiting for his answer, the computer switches to what appears to be a live-video feed of someone sitting in a very dark and dirty room, on a chair, a black plastic bag or something covering their face. The whole thing is too sinister and creepy for Kawashima, who shuts the internet and computer down ... only to start developing problems when the computer not only turns itself back on - but also takes him directly back to the same site, and same images. Thinking it might just be some glitch in the system - actually, Kawashima doesn't know what to think - the young student finds, on campus, a computer-knowledgeable fellow student named Harue (Koyuki), who agrees to look into it with him; a mistake both of them later regret.

Eventually the two storylines converge, and Michi and Kawashima meet and learn to rely on each other - but not before a whole lot of creepiness ensues, and the body count (often by suicide) grows. The great thing about the film, however, is the cerebral and visual way it gets under your skin; this is not your typical blood and guts gory splatterfest here, and those who like that kind of horror should look elsewhere. Asian horror is more about going for your mind and emotions over the more visceral senses, and here the foreboding sense of doom that grows and grows in the film, finally meeting in an apocalyptic Tokyo that is in deeper crap than it realizes, is both subtle and disturbing - this is a film that should stay with you, in your head, for awhile after you've seen it. Very well cast, and shot with just enough creepiness to give you a good chill, director Kurosawa also uses the film to convey one strong, very important and true message: that the internet, even technology in general - that which was created to bring human beings closer together - is actually driving human beings further apart than ever before.

The three leads - Kato, Aso, and Koyuki - do an excellent job in the film; all are totally believable in their growing sense of dread and terror, Kato in particular playing Kawashima as a likable hero determined to find out what's going on ... no matter what the cost. Michi's character, as played by Aso, has a great character arc in the story, as well, having to go from mousy little girl-type to a strong young woman determined to survive it all.

The ending, I should say, isn't the most upbeat - yet works, and is totally realistic in keeping with the plot. If you like the subtleties of J-horror, here with only minute sightings of gore or blood in favor of a more cerebral mind-squeeze, then Pulse might just be for you. *** - Reel Cool