A factory worker, Ryosuke Yoshii, discovers that he can make a lot more money buying products on the cheap and selling them online at unreasonably high prices. Ambitious and enterprising, Yoshii decides to follow his heart, much to the chagrin of his floor manager who insists he reconsider his decision. But Yoshii has made up his mind and has already tasted success online under the name 'Ratel,' and he's unstoppable now.
The young, street-smart lad played by Japanese actor Masaki Suda, is deep into the trade and knows exactly how to rig the internet to his advantage but eventually ends up in a mess. How he gets out of this mess is the most exciting part of the story, one which would take you through a rollercoaster of emotions as you connect with Yoshii, who goes from being an all too relatable fool to a clear villain, in turns.
'Cloud' provides the narrative of the proletariat; the desperate urge for a better life, for enterprise and success, in a way that the end justifies the means. The film played at the ongoing MAMI festival and the hall was packed. A few who arrived late, watched the entire film standing at the entrance. Clearly, nobody wanted to miss the screening of the film which Japan had recently selected as its candidate for the Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. Besides, the knowledge that the film - a poignant tale that delves deep into the crossroads of human vulnerability and enterprise - comes from the stable of the renowned and veteran Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, adds to the intrigue. The filmmaker will reportedly be celebrated at the Busan Film Festival as the festival’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year.
Cloud ensures you remain with it, hooked and intrigued, as Yoshii’s frustrated customers come together with the single-minded purpose of going after him to revenge for their loss of business. The climax leaves you in splits; it is unthinkable and that is also why it is alluring. Cloud deftly and not-so-subtly touches upon the genres of horror, comedy and action with convincing dexterity, thereby yielding delightful pleasures every now and then. Cloud, cannot be boxed, given its unconventional approach. It is rooted; emanating from the banality of everyday life, yet, it feels as if we just happened to notice it now. Therein lies the genius of the filmmaker who observes the mundane and gives it a mind-blowingly fresh treatment that lights up the screen.
Early on, in the film, Yoshii is seen inspecting a consignment of 'therapy machines' up for quick sale by their desperate manufacturer. Casually, the former offers the man a concessional rate for all 30 units, hoping to make multiple times of it by reselling each unit at a much higher price online. That same night that he purchases the stock, he advertises it online and watches as one by one the listings flicker from for-sale to pending to sold and just like that in a matter of minutes, he makes tens of thousands of dollars. This goes on and on with various products, day in and day out. In time, he further exploits his solo e-selling instincts and moves out of his cramped apartment into a spacious, secluded house that provides a bigger space for accommodating the stocks. He hires Sano, a young chap, played by Daiken Okudaira, as a help for his expanding business and on the condition that he never touches the computer. The only issue here, and a very big one, indeed, is that Yoshii remains by and large unaware of the extent to which his shady foray on the Dark Web has aggrieved and frustrated so many buyers and sellers to the extent that their sole focus become to somehow hunt him down. It culminates in a darkly funny, multiplayer shootout at a decrepit warehouse, just like in a video game. The only problem here is, that the end, that is the very final leg, doesn't keep pace with the momentum which the film builds up throughout. It feels rushed, and inconsequential.
If the aim was to philosophise and give out a message, then the apocalyptic backdrop and some doomladen dialogue just did not make the cut. Sano's deep thinking at that juncture seems out of place and runs contrary to the motivations that have defined him so far. But if one was to ignore that part, then Cloud definitely comes across as an unconventional tale that spins an exciting world around the new economics of online life, insulated by the anonymizing internet.
Cloud
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Starring: Masaki Suda
Rating: 3/5