Cloud

The latest film from the director of Cure and Pulse is a tense thriller interrogating the corrupting influence of the internet, technology and late-stage capitalism on human behaviour. Yoshii Ryôsuke, a young factory worker in Tokyo, earns extra money by bulk-buying items and reselling them online with a huge mark-up. When his side hustle starts to take off, Yoshii senses something troubling is encircling him, but who or what is unclear. Kurosawa is a master of mood and atmosphere, and his latest drama is enveloped in an escalating sense of dread. Yet Cloud is also gloriously unpredictable, as Kurosawa blends genres, melding slow-burn psychological thrills with violent action noir. As Yoshii, Suda (who recently voiced the mischievous heron in The Boy and the Heron) is an especially compelling screen presence.

Kimberley Sheehan, Lead Programmer