I saw
Charisma tonight, what is ostensibly a horror film by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, the guy who did Pulse, Seance, and Cure, among others. While Charisma is marketed as a horror film, and was made by a guy known for horror, it isn't a horror film at all. There are a couple of unsettling scenes, but this movie is almost purely an allegory. A cop who makes a major screw up at his job is placed on leave and decides to just wonder into a random forest. There he meets different people who all seem to have a fixation on a particular and unique tree. Some people think it's dangerous to all the other plant life in the forest, but others think it's precious and takes precedence over all the other plants. And others just want to sell it for money. The cop gets involved in the entanglement, and in fact becomes the crux, so that he must ultimately decide the fate of the tree, and thus the entire forest. The symbolism is not very subtle here, the tree represents individualism. Those who want it destroyed represent the forces of conformity. This movie's message might resonate more in Japan in the late 90s when it was made, as Japan has historically been a far more conformist culture, so maybe it's an issue of greater concern there.
Apart from the metaphorical content, there were a few entertaining scenes and a few tense moments, but Charisma is not really concerned about that. It is probably the most abstruse movie from Kiyoshi Kurosawa I have seen so far, and that is saying something after watching Cure. The movie strolled by at a casual pace, and the story unfolded but not at a breakneck speed. It's an entirely non-standard story, so it had unpredictability on its side. There was no telling what was going to happen next since there is no other movie like it. Even though the story as a whole was rather enigmatic, it was easy to follow and not challenging as far as plot goes, so you might be left wondering about the meaning of a scene but you won't be left wondering what actually happened. Unlike many other high-minded movies, this one was fairly watchable and never really taxed my patience.
On the technical side, the movie was professionally produced, so it looks and feels polished and competently made, so no cheap shot-on-video ugliness, sloppy sound mixing, or amateur acting here. There are a few interesting visuals, but mostly it's a guy wondering around a forest while talking to someone, so it doesn't look artsy despite its very cerebral premise. As with Kurosawa's other films, the characters are mostly shot at a medium distance, so there isn't a sense of intimacy or affinity for any of them. None of the characters are over-flowing with personality, they are a bit detached from each other, and the drama isn't derived from their relationships like normal movies. This is about what you would expect when the characters are largely symbolic. Charisma is all about the intellect and is not an emotionally stirring movie.
Would I recommend this? If you were in the mood for a offbeat, high-browed stroll or were interested in seeing an allegorical debate about conformity versus individualism, Charisma is the movie for you. That probably isn't a mood that strikes many people very often, so I think Charisma is probably going to be a let down to most, especially horror fans who are looking for a more visceral experience.