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Flying from Europe to Asia, this month's edition of Foreign Fear Friday is proud to spotlight the inspiring work of Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Born July 19, 1955 in Kobe Japan, Kiyoshi eased is way into the horror genre after a bevy of straight to video yakuza pictures, where themes of violence and mischief weren't too far fetched. After matriculating at the Sundance Institute in the '90s, Kurosawa didn't take long to become venerated for his work in J-horror; a Japanese subgenre of film that tends toward psychological terror, the existence of spiritual evil, poltergeists, sinister ghosts etc. And while Kurosawa stamped his on stylistic print on said subgenre, the writer/director also admirably dipped his cinematic hand in the slasher realm (a personal favorite of mine) - his first major achievement being the 1992 release of The Guard from the Underground. With a miniscule budget and limited set pieces, Kurosawa crafted a very tight, suspenseful slasher mystery that took place entirely in one building. Simplicity at it's best!

In terms of directorial style, Kurosawa often employs a drawn out, trance-like quality with the camera that just sort of lingers - allowing the subject to subliminally wash over you. He offers complex, thought provoking themes in his films as well. Although not a direct descendent of cinematic guru Akira Kurosawa, Kiyoshi doesn't exactly tarnish that namesake either. Comparisons to his work have been compared with Kubrick and Tarkovsky; vast lyrical elegies that offer a challenge as well as entertainment. His abrupt cutting and lack of transitions at times have the opposite, jarring effect; but his set-ups usually place just as much importance as things outside the frame as those being shown inside of it. Such abilities have afforded Kiyoshi the opportunity to excavate different material, dipping in comedy and drama just as proficiently as he does the macabre. And rest assured, at the crux of his entire film canon, true horror (J-horror) can't be denied.

In 1997, Kiyoshi burst onto the international scene with a flick called Cure, the one we're most interested in sharing with you. Cure (actually released theatrically in 2001) is a raw, mean-spirited slasher film met with a cerebral crime story that does equally an impressive job shocking you with grue as it does scaring you with its stark and dreary milieu. When a scourge of brutal murders in Tokyo becomes linked only by a large and bloodied X-shaped gouge in each victim's neck; it's up to a psychologist and a detective to team up to solve the crimes. Then a mysterious drifter appears that puts the cop and head-shrink in a perpetual state of flummox. The dude has some eerie hypnotic brand of treatment, where he can easily plumb a person's darkest desires and subconscious motives of primal rage. He uses this mysterious method to help interrogate suspects, but it lends to a distorted plotline that meanders at times, instead focusing on the twisted pathologies of these twisted criminal minds.

The line between what's real and imaginary starts to increasingly muddle, but never so in a way that can put a viewer off like more experimental filmmakers can often, at times self-indulgently, do (Lynch, as KK is also compared with). Speaking of this horror/crime mélange, Cure has also drawn similarities to Fincher's exercise in morbidity; Se7en - a type of film whose viscera is more so reliant on the hand of a skilled visual story teller more so than gratuitous mayhem. In other words, there's a certain type genteel sophistication amid the mayhem. It's the type of movie that legitimately warrants repeat viewings, and that can't be said for most horror flicks (shit, the bulk aren't even worth watching once). Cure went on to win a combined 9 national and international awards, mostly recognizing the acting of Koji Yakusho (the detective) as well as the suburb direction of Kurosawa himself. Enough talk, either Netflix or otherwise nab yourself a copy of Cure on DVD ASAP.

Upon the success of Cure, Kiyoshi Kurosawa went on to craft other notable horror entries, including Pulse, Séance and Charisma - each with its own sadistic charm. Kurosawa continues to make films, having tinkered with more dramatic fare as of late, even has a 2008 film yet to find international release, entitled Tokyo Sonata. Even outside the horror realm, you can always depend on Kiyoshi to deliver a compelling piece of cinema.

That's it for this month; check in next time to see where Foreign Fear Friday's next destination takes us!

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