Some people will do anything to survive.

For Yoshii (Masaki Suda), that means buying merchandise on the cheap and selling it at an opportunistic markup on the web. Sometimes Yoshii creates scarcity by buying out the stock. Other times, he takes knockoffs and sells them at the original’s markup. Both mean the same to him, and both bring the same amount of pleasure. Sure, he’ll crack a smile once the units start moving, but that’s about it. He’s in it for the obsession. His online handle is “Ratel.” Perfect. Ratel—more commonly known as the honey badger—is the fiercest mammal on the planet.

Or as Cloud—the new film from Japanese writer-director Kiyoshi Kurosawa—shows, the second fiercest mammal on the planet. You meet many villains on the road to hell. Some are even your friends.

Yoshii meets them all, from merchants he sold short to buyers he ripped off. So many that they’ve amassed on the dark web to dox and exact revenge. Not that Yoshii or his girlfriend, Akikio (Kotone Furukawa), know or care. Only Yoshii’s whip-smart assistant, Sano (Daiken Okudaira), keeps watch.

All of which Kurosawa crafts with a sure hand and a steady tone. The movie starts slow and quiet, but it builds toward an explosion you know is coming—one you want less the longer Kurosawa makes you wait.

Cloud is a world bleached of joy. Yoshii might get a charge from selling his merchandise, but not much. His customers want what he has, but not for any real excitement or release. They are mindless consumers, and Yoshii is their mindless merchant. Even Akikio’s emotions are flat. When she tries to seduce Sano, and he doesn’t take the bait, she pitches a small fit and then tells him she’s leaving Yoshii. Why, Sano asks. Because I’m fucking bored, she says. Then, after taking a minute to compose herself, she revises: “I’ll rephrase that. Thanks for everything, I had so much fun.”

Only violence and anger can survive in a world this detached. When Yoshii’s enemies show up, they take things a step too far. It seems like an unreasonable response at first until you learn that there’s nothing special about Yoshii being in their crosshairs.

If it sounds like I’m making this movie out to be pretty bleak, it is. Cloud exists in our world, but only the worst parts of it. Humanity and all sense of humor are gone. What’s left is this.

Cloud is not a fun watch, but it isn’t a dull one either. There are thrilling moments and a few twists that keep you engaged, but you won’t leave it feeling happy about the world. Had Kurosawa imbued his images with a greater sense of style, then Cloud might have been more exciting. But being excited by these people and this scenario does not seem to be Kurosawa’s aim. He’s got other fish to fry. And he’s got the characters to do the frying.

Cloud / クラウド (2024)
Written and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Produced by Atsuyuki Igarashi, Takuya Matsumoto, Masaya Nagayama, Masato Usui, Kazuhiro Ôta
Starring: Masaki Suda, Kotone Furukawa, Daiken Okudaira, Amane Okayama, Masataka Kubota
Janus Films, Not rated, Running time 124 minutes, Premiered Aug. 30, 2024 at the Venice Film Festival

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