Pulse (Kairo, 2001): In Tokyo, ghosts begin invading the world of the living through the internet, creating an epidemic of loneliness and disappearances.
Thoughts
While it was eerie at first, the film is highly conceptual—so much so that I think, over time, it became difficult for the actors to act within it, or even for the production to set up a realistic environment for it. One example is when Michi tried to capture her friend, Junko, who shattered into pieces. The way they moved or talked makes me feel like watching people acting on a theatrical stage rather than in a movie. It doesn’t mean it’s bad though.
That said, I found the only character engrossed in the movie, who did not act theatrically, was Kawashima. I suspected he was still “grounded” somehow, rejecting loneliness—like when he was looking for Harue running off the train—which makes him immune to it.
Sad but I love the ending, though I know this kind of highly conceptual movie might not be something mass viewers will enjoy while eating popcorn. Though I don’t think it’s as good and grounded as Cure, I can highly relate to it at a personal level.
Here’s a personal story. As someone who has chronic depression, and has been seen or probably seen myself as an outlier all my life, the difficulties to connect (or get the connection that I want) sometimes make me feel extremely lonely. Even if my partner, family, or friends try to keep in touch and tell me they are right there beside me, I still feel lonely in the crowd because the connection doesn’t feel right (not what I want) and starts becoming a burden. Because loneliness is a maze in the head, it’s easy to get lost. But it’s in the head—our own head—so when the episode is fading, I found people right there beside me, and I feel grateful. Though I know this is a repetitive pattern that will occur again, I know I just have to bear with it.
But yes, it doesn’t always work. There were times when I was highly suicidal as well, so “bear with it” sounds like a ridiculous idea. And at times, this maze offers more consolation than the real world, so it’s easy to get swayed to stay inside it longer or forever.
I love Michi and Kawashima’s characters because they fought to find the way out of this maze. And I won’t blame Kawashima for “being infected in the end.” He fought hard, really hard, even until the very end. But it must not be easy to do it especially after watching someone he called his only friend committing suicide—either literally or figuratively—and having tasted “the forbidden room” right after. It must have weakened his immune system that even the willingness to survive is not enough. He didn’t lose; he was terribly exhausted.
And I love Michi for staying by his side—no longer frightened but calmly accompanying him—as he faded away. If I were Kawashima, it would be an ending I was very grateful for.