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Acclaimed director Kiyeshi Kurosawa examines urban disillusionment and disaffected youth in this beautifully stylized mystical film. Friends Mamoru and Yuji are aimless young men stuck in dead-end jobs in a dreary factory in Tokyo. Mamoru, the more antisocial of the two, is obsessed with his pet project of acclimating a poisonous jellyfish to fresh water by gradually changing the water in its tank. One night, he inexplicably murders his boss' family and is sentenced to death. Yuji, left to continue the jellyfish experiment, befriends Mamoru's estranged father Shin-ichiro, and the two form a bond. But Yuji's attachment to the jellyfish is even stronger, and problems arise when he accidentally releases the poisonous creature into the canals of Tokyo. Special Features: -Behind the Scenes Featurette. -Original Theatrical Trailer. -Film Notes. -DTS Digital Surround 5.1. -Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. -Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:DVD
Best known for films like 'Cure' and 'Pulse' that chill the spine more than warm the heart, Kurosawa is the dark prince of the Japanese new wave.After the series of horror quick videos,he emerged onto the film scene with the psycho-thriller, Cure(1997),then made this film before the state-of-the- nation masterpiece, 'Tokyo Sonata'.Dilapidated buildings,cold barren landscapes,the disaffected,drifting young with no future,shot on digital video by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.The use of luminous symbolism,the acclimatising of a pet red glowing jellyfish to fresh water.This is a movie about a charismatic killer,Mamoru, who through his friend sends a swarm of home-bred mutant beasts into the world to continue doing his murderous bidding after he sheds his mortal coil.Characters that are bored to death,who have nohope. They have inherited miserable lives.Mamoru(Asano Tadanobu) having been imprisoned for killing his complacent boss's family and his boss, advances Yuji(Joe Odagiri) towards his destiny.Yuji's acclimatization of the jellyfish to freshwater is symbolic of Yuji's adjustment to the world and coming to grips with it,finalized by the accidental release of the jellyfish into the city system of sewers and waterways.They metaphorically force their environment to accept their demands instead of the other way around.Some beautiful imagery here.
Sometimes the narrative surface, aided by long takes and a static camera,is submerged by the subtext,where interesting ideas and effective moments do not quite gel into a fully satisfying whole.The representation of the generation gaps as well as the dreary disillusionment captured by the cinematography are excellent.Kurosawa - no relation to Akira - is one of the best directors out there at withholding information in a dramatically interesting way; he sucks almost all traditional personality from his characters, leaving only the most poignant and potent core ideas.The focus of the story becomes Yuji's emergence from his bubble of aimless disaffection into finding purpose and direction through learned responsibility. The failed father(Tatsua Fuji) and the not much more successful surrogate son devote all their energy to raising a colony of little creatures, which they have the hardest time letting go of,refusing to acknowledge that the critters are old enough to take care of themselves,but discovering a sense of gratification when the young do finally swim out to sea.The film's ending with an army of neon-head-phoned thrillseekers marching along to a popular song walking out onto the road with an army of followers was ambiguous but superb,leaving you to draw your own conclusions about the `Bright Future'.
Sometimes the narrative surface, aided by long takes and a static camera,is submerged by the subtext,where interesting ideas and effective moments do not quite gel into a fully satisfying whole.The representation of the generation gaps as well as the dreary disillusionment captured by the cinematography are excellent.Kurosawa - no relation to Akira - is one of the best directors out there at withholding information in a dramatically interesting way; he sucks almost all traditional personality from his characters, leaving only the most poignant and potent core ideas.The focus of the story becomes Yuji's emergence from his bubble of aimless disaffection into finding purpose and direction through learned responsibility. The failed father(Tatsua Fuji) and the not much more successful surrogate son devote all their energy to raising a colony of little creatures, which they have the hardest time letting go of,refusing to acknowledge that the critters are old enough to take care of themselves,but discovering a sense of gratification when the young do finally swim out to sea.The film's ending with an army of neon-head-phoned thrillseekers marching along to a popular song walking out onto the road with an army of followers was ambiguous but superb,leaving you to draw your own conclusions about the `Bright Future'.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The Tartan edition, as the American one, of "Bright Future" is the cut version of the film. This Tartan also has deinterlacing issues. Buy the Japanese one.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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14 reviews
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Here's what I think it's about (analysis and some spoilers)
6 Jun 2005
Format:DVD
Many viewers look at Bright Future and throw up their hands in
confusion, even those who admire Kurosawa's style. I've thought a lot
about this movie and I don't think its intentions are that obscure,
though I confess it can be inaccessible. It's just that Kurosawa's
approach is VERY contrary to how Westerners understand film.
Bright Future examines the disillusionment of Japanese youth towards
their parents' generation, and, in turn, their parents' feelings of
failure towards their children. Throughout, a poisonous red jellyfish
symbolizes disaffected youth, drifting along silently, not threatening
unless you cross their path.
Namura and Arita are two 20-somethings working at an industrial
laundry. Namura is apathy itself. He cherishes his dreams of a "bright
future," but in his daily life, he barely registers much more than a
blank stare. He's such a loser he even sucks at his few hobbies; the
one time he goes out to an arcade with his upwardly-mobile sister and
her yuppie boyfriend, the boyfriend casually kicks Namura's ass at
games Namura plays constantly. On his lone trips to a nearby bowling
alley, Namura rolls mostly gutters.
Arita, Namura's only friend, is more mysterious, with a placid surface
underneath which lurks hints of menace. Arita's sole hobby is the care
of his pet jellyfish, which he is trying to acclimate to fresh water.
Arita gives the clueless Namura hand signals (thumb inward means
"wait," finger pointing means "go ahead") so he'll avoid doing anything
"crazy." Namura isn't sure what to make of this, but we get hints Arita
is more in tune with prevailing moods. "There's a storm coming," he
says ominously.
The boys' boss at the laundry lamely attempts to court their
friendship, borrowing a CD from Namura and popping up uninvited at
Arita's apartment. There he goes into a pathetic speech about "When I
was your age...", but loses his train of thought and gets caught up
watching cable. Namura and Arita view this middle-aged boy-man with
barely concealed contempt; you can tell they're thinking, "God, is this
what I have to look forward to when I'm 55?" When the boss sticks his
fingers in the jellyfish tank, Arita stops Namura from warning him
about the poison.
The boss, when he learns what could have happened, confronts Arita, who
quits his job the next day. The boss remains friendly to Namura,
throwing the socially inept young man into further confusion. That
night, Namura angrily goes to the boss's house to get his CD, only to
find Arita has been there earlier and murdered the man and his wife.
Arita is arrested but makes no particular attempt at a defense. In
jail, he cordially (but not warmly) greets his estranged father, and
only wants to talk about his jellyfish to Namura, in whom he has
entrusted its care. But when Namura, in a rare emotional outburst,
declares he will "wait 20 years" for Arita's release, Arita coldly
snubs him. Now even more bereft and confused, Namura angrily smashes
the jellyfish tank, inadvertently releasing it into the city canals.
Not long after, Arita hangs himself in his cell, his hand wired into
the "go ahead" signal. Namura regrets his rashness, and is overjoyed to
find the jellyfish still alive. He also strikes up a bond with Arita's
father, who makes a meager living salvaging discarded appliances (a
metaphor for pointlessly hanging onto the past). The father, who hadn't
seen Arita for 5 years before the murders, and who is held in such
disdain by his one other son that the boy has taken his mother's last
name, sees in Namura the chance for a real father-son relationship.
I've concluded that we're supposed to see Arita and Namura as two
different incarnations of the same person. This interpretation would be
consistent with Kurosawa's follow-up, Doppelgänger, whose hero
confronts an arrogant and violent duplicate of himself. Bright Future's
script hints that Kurosawa may have intended this:
At one point Namura says he thinks Arita killed the boss "before I
could do it"; indeed, right before Namura goes to the house, we see him
grab a metal pipe off the street and swing it in wild unfocused rage.
In another scene, we see Arita's ghost(?) watching his father and
Namura. Also, the way Arita's father cherishes his bond with Namura; a
reconciliation after an argument they have plays like the father is
really forgiving Arita and his other son for abandoning him (especially
the father's line "I forgive all of you for everything"). Finally,
Arita's rejection of Namura when Namura declares he'll wait for him in
prison; if Arita is really Namura's "evil doppelgänger," then the
rejection makes good thematic sense. It's Arita's way of saying, "You
idiot, don't you know that as long as you hang onto me, you'll always
be a loser?"
So is Arita the violent, acting-out side of Namura's personality made
flesh, who, once he commits the crime Namura fantasizes about, feels
it's time to give Namura the "go ahead" signal and bow out? An
intriguing possibility, and one certainly in keeping with Kurosawa's
magical realist approach.
The final scenes, in which Namura - saying "I got my go-ahead signal
long ago" - finally decides to stop drifting aimlessly (like the
jellyfish in the tank) and set himself towards the "bright future" he
used to dream of (like the loose jellyfish, now "escaping" from Tokyo
and drifting toward the sea), brings the movie's theme full circle. The
climactic shot of hordes of glowing jellyfish floating down a canal is
a truly stunning image. (And one thematically underscored by its
juxtaposition with the very last shot, of a gang of kids Namura briefly
falls in with, drifting aimlessly down the sidewalk to nowhere in
particular.) The title turns out to be not ironic at all. The young can
have a bright future, but sometimes, you have to know when to wait, and
when to go ahead.
confusion, even those who admire Kurosawa's style. I've thought a lot
about this movie and I don't think its intentions are that obscure,
though I confess it can be inaccessible. It's just that Kurosawa's
approach is VERY contrary to how Westerners understand film.
Bright Future examines the disillusionment of Japanese youth towards
their parents' generation, and, in turn, their parents' feelings of
failure towards their children. Throughout, a poisonous red jellyfish
symbolizes disaffected youth, drifting along silently, not threatening
unless you cross their path.
Namura and Arita are two 20-somethings working at an industrial
laundry. Namura is apathy itself. He cherishes his dreams of a "bright
future," but in his daily life, he barely registers much more than a
blank stare. He's such a loser he even sucks at his few hobbies; the
one time he goes out to an arcade with his upwardly-mobile sister and
her yuppie boyfriend, the boyfriend casually kicks Namura's ass at
games Namura plays constantly. On his lone trips to a nearby bowling
alley, Namura rolls mostly gutters.
Arita, Namura's only friend, is more mysterious, with a placid surface
underneath which lurks hints of menace. Arita's sole hobby is the care
of his pet jellyfish, which he is trying to acclimate to fresh water.
Arita gives the clueless Namura hand signals (thumb inward means
"wait," finger pointing means "go ahead") so he'll avoid doing anything
"crazy." Namura isn't sure what to make of this, but we get hints Arita
is more in tune with prevailing moods. "There's a storm coming," he
says ominously.
The boys' boss at the laundry lamely attempts to court their
friendship, borrowing a CD from Namura and popping up uninvited at
Arita's apartment. There he goes into a pathetic speech about "When I
was your age...", but loses his train of thought and gets caught up
watching cable. Namura and Arita view this middle-aged boy-man with
barely concealed contempt; you can tell they're thinking, "God, is this
what I have to look forward to when I'm 55?" When the boss sticks his
fingers in the jellyfish tank, Arita stops Namura from warning him
about the poison.
The boss, when he learns what could have happened, confronts Arita, who
quits his job the next day. The boss remains friendly to Namura,
throwing the socially inept young man into further confusion. That
night, Namura angrily goes to the boss's house to get his CD, only to
find Arita has been there earlier and murdered the man and his wife.
Arita is arrested but makes no particular attempt at a defense. In
jail, he cordially (but not warmly) greets his estranged father, and
only wants to talk about his jellyfish to Namura, in whom he has
entrusted its care. But when Namura, in a rare emotional outburst,
declares he will "wait 20 years" for Arita's release, Arita coldly
snubs him. Now even more bereft and confused, Namura angrily smashes
the jellyfish tank, inadvertently releasing it into the city canals.
Not long after, Arita hangs himself in his cell, his hand wired into
the "go ahead" signal. Namura regrets his rashness, and is overjoyed to
find the jellyfish still alive. He also strikes up a bond with Arita's
father, who makes a meager living salvaging discarded appliances (a
metaphor for pointlessly hanging onto the past). The father, who hadn't
seen Arita for 5 years before the murders, and who is held in such
disdain by his one other son that the boy has taken his mother's last
name, sees in Namura the chance for a real father-son relationship.
I've concluded that we're supposed to see Arita and Namura as two
different incarnations of the same person. This interpretation would be
consistent with Kurosawa's follow-up, Doppelgänger, whose hero
confronts an arrogant and violent duplicate of himself. Bright Future's
script hints that Kurosawa may have intended this:
At one point Namura says he thinks Arita killed the boss "before I
could do it"; indeed, right before Namura goes to the house, we see him
grab a metal pipe off the street and swing it in wild unfocused rage.
In another scene, we see Arita's ghost(?) watching his father and
Namura. Also, the way Arita's father cherishes his bond with Namura; a
reconciliation after an argument they have plays like the father is
really forgiving Arita and his other son for abandoning him (especially
the father's line "I forgive all of you for everything"). Finally,
Arita's rejection of Namura when Namura declares he'll wait for him in
prison; if Arita is really Namura's "evil doppelgänger," then the
rejection makes good thematic sense. It's Arita's way of saying, "You
idiot, don't you know that as long as you hang onto me, you'll always
be a loser?"
So is Arita the violent, acting-out side of Namura's personality made
flesh, who, once he commits the crime Namura fantasizes about, feels
it's time to give Namura the "go ahead" signal and bow out? An
intriguing possibility, and one certainly in keeping with Kurosawa's
magical realist approach.
The final scenes, in which Namura - saying "I got my go-ahead signal
long ago" - finally decides to stop drifting aimlessly (like the
jellyfish in the tank) and set himself towards the "bright future" he
used to dream of (like the loose jellyfish, now "escaping" from Tokyo
and drifting toward the sea), brings the movie's theme full circle. The
climactic shot of hordes of glowing jellyfish floating down a canal is
a truly stunning image. (And one thematically underscored by its
juxtaposition with the very last shot, of a gang of kids Namura briefly
falls in with, drifting aimlessly down the sidewalk to nowhere in
particular.) The title turns out to be not ironic at all. The young can
have a bright future, but sometimes, you have to know when to wait, and
when to go ahead.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
One of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's finest films
21 Sep 2006
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Kiyoshi Kurosawa is becoming one of my favorite current filmmakers, and the further he gets from by-the-book J-horror (preferring to reach further into less categorizable reaches of his own cinematic imagination), the better I think he is.
Deeper meanings mingle with absurdist humor, and the kind of chance occurrences that enliven the fiction of Paul Auster and Haruki Murakami also figure heavily in Kurosawa's films; cinematically, everything from Lynch or Fellini to "Dirty Harry" can be a touchstone for further exploration.
BRIGHT FUTURE is like an improved CHARISMA - more refined, less loony, and considerably more poetic, but Kiyoshi Kurosawa's many thematic concerns - trashing of the environment, a sense of depersonalization (and discreet nihilism) in younger/future generations, the erosion of a society's cohesiveness (especially when that erosion originates within, and not from some external source) - are handled very well - the last shot offers his darkest and most ironic humor, with the cross-generational understanding becoming something quietly heroic evoking certain past masters of Japanese film. A sense that - if younger generations have drifted towards a nihilism that could destroy them or you, it is balanced by an equally withering take on the older generations that somehow let them down; this film in many ways visualizes the idea of getting over it, and moving on with life (after presenting some of the consequences for not doing so).
Tadanobu Asano's presence here is somewhat hyped (definitely on the DVD cover), undoubtedly due to his ascendant global stardom, but his performance here is eclipsed by co-stars Joe Odagiri and Tatsuya Fuji, who both deliver dynamic performances of great range and control.
Mysterious, poetic, beautifully shot (on DV), open to many interpretations, and one of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's finest.
-David Alston
Deeper meanings mingle with absurdist humor, and the kind of chance occurrences that enliven the fiction of Paul Auster and Haruki Murakami also figure heavily in Kurosawa's films; cinematically, everything from Lynch or Fellini to "Dirty Harry" can be a touchstone for further exploration.
BRIGHT FUTURE is like an improved CHARISMA - more refined, less loony, and considerably more poetic, but Kiyoshi Kurosawa's many thematic concerns - trashing of the environment, a sense of depersonalization (and discreet nihilism) in younger/future generations, the erosion of a society's cohesiveness (especially when that erosion originates within, and not from some external source) - are handled very well - the last shot offers his darkest and most ironic humor, with the cross-generational understanding becoming something quietly heroic evoking certain past masters of Japanese film. A sense that - if younger generations have drifted towards a nihilism that could destroy them or you, it is balanced by an equally withering take on the older generations that somehow let them down; this film in many ways visualizes the idea of getting over it, and moving on with life (after presenting some of the consequences for not doing so).
Tadanobu Asano's presence here is somewhat hyped (definitely on the DVD cover), undoubtedly due to his ascendant global stardom, but his performance here is eclipsed by co-stars Joe Odagiri and Tatsuya Fuji, who both deliver dynamic performances of great range and control.
Mysterious, poetic, beautifully shot (on DV), open to many interpretations, and one of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's finest.
-David Alston
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Beautiful & Lethal
2 Jun 2008
Format:DVD
"Bright Future" fascinated the Japanese. It was named Best Film and its director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, (who is not related to the classic director Akira Kurosawa), won Best Director from the Japanese Professional Movie Awards (JPMA). The film was nominated for the Golden Palm @ Cannes in 2003. Tadanobu Asano who was interesting in Last Life in the Universe plays Mamoru Arita. His buddy is Yuji Nimura, played by Jo Odagiri who tied with Tatsuya Fuji for the Best Actor Award from the JPMA. Mamoru' father is played by Tatsuya Fuji.
"Bright Future" is a mystical film. I use that term in the sense that something other than logic is driving events. The film has a contingent plot structure with Mamoru's murder of his former boss seemingly coming abruptly and without explanation. The visual effects with the iridescent jellyfish are visually stunning. Perhaps Mamoru identifies with the jellyfish because they are beautiful & lethal. The ending sequence raised questions for me.
This film is well-paced, visually stunning, with strong performances and relationships between the main characters. Enjoy!
"Bright Future" is a mystical film. I use that term in the sense that something other than logic is driving events. The film has a contingent plot structure with Mamoru's murder of his former boss seemingly coming abruptly and without explanation. The visual effects with the iridescent jellyfish are visually stunning. Perhaps Mamoru identifies with the jellyfish because they are beautiful & lethal. The ending sequence raised questions for me.
This film is well-paced, visually stunning, with strong performances and relationships between the main characters. Enjoy!
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