Film Review: Cloud
by Rose Finlay

Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan 2024

Yoshii is tired of being poor. When he learns about an opportunity to be a professional reseller of goods online, he jumps in wholeheartedly. Of course, this does not make him popular as he buys low and sells high, often at the expense of down-on-their-luck manufacturers and normal consumers who can’t compete with his predatory practices. Yoshii doesn’t much care about this, but the threats do start to get to him, particularly once he has moved to the rural countryside. What starts as a slowly building thriller, soon changes into an over-the-top action flick, with a former yakuza member there to turn everything on its head. CLOUD takes some unexpected paths to its conclusion, adding in thrills and comedy. While in some ways it makes the whole experience a bit uneven and undermines some of the more serious themes, it certainly leaves a memorable and entertaining impression.