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Reviews
Karisuma (1999)
A false dichotomy of a false dichotomy
The consensus on this film seems to be an exploration of the dichotomy between individualism and society, but given the director's own statements about the origins of the film and his own uncertainty about the ultimate meaning, I think this film is still up for interpretation and some healthy debate, 14 years later. ^.^ The ending of this film does not match the interpretation that ebossert below describes. If the collapse of society were due to Yabuike's rejection of the dichotomy, this would be a wrong ending. It creates another dichotomy, and actively goes against the film's own stated philosophy: that the destruction, rather than preservation, of both would lead to chaos/extinction. The chaos seen at the end of the film is something different. What is being contrasted in this film is not society with individualism, but society with an individual. Just as it's insane to allow a destructive individual to continue to exist and taint a society for his uniqueness, it's also excessive to kill that person to protect society. There has to be a way to save both--that's Yabuike's plan. The non-linearity and philosophy seen in this film (and countless other Japanese films) draws, through perhaps unconscious cultural channels, from Buddhism. Particularly in Zen Buddhism, the form most popular in Japan, all is changing and inseparable. There is no individual, for we are all intricately and inextricably bound by forces tying us together--cause and effect. The solution to the problem, then, is not to kill the individual to protect society, as the botanist wishes, nor to let the forest be killed to protect the tree, as Kiriyama wishes. Yabuike's solution is chance. Pure, random, chaotic chance. Since all are equal, kill this one, let this one survive. This explains the men in black (who may represent the forces of nature), who simultaneously break away from the false paradigm with Yabuike. They throw away their caps, lifting the mental ceiling off, and he no longer has any qualms about risking one person's life to save another in a hostage situation. The ending is a bit dramatic for an otherwise deliberately-paced film; more accurate would have been a subtle, understated change in society, but that's difficult to depict when your film is already 100 minutes long. In short, Kurosawa Kiyoshi created with this another excellent film that watches like a good book reads. I had to take several pauses to reflect on the ideas and parallels depicted on screen. If you're reading this now, chances are you're just discovering Kurosawa as I did years ago. He is now my favourite director, and Yakusho Kouji my favourite actor. I highly recommend watching, and rewatching, both of their films!