Name: Chime
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Released: 2024-04-12
Duration: 45 min
Rating: 6.3
Cast: Mutsuo Yoshioka, Seiichi Kohinata, Hana Amano

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's latest psychological horror is a masterful exercise in suspense and terror.

Provided you can get onboard with its enigmatic (and nearly incomprehensible) plot, there's much to enjoy here for fans of the director. The running time is short (only 45 minutes), making this something of a compact version of Kurosawa's usual, subtle horror filmmaking. There's a lot of atmosphere and intrigue present throughout, but little to no answers to some of the film's central questions.

While this is certainly a violent little film, it's not focused on gore, but rather its capability to disturb by mere suggestion. It's pretty great to see Kurosawa back at directing unsettling films that turn the mundane into terrifying, and Chime shows he's still got some interesting ideas to share with the rest of us.

Recommended.

Japanese cinema is celebrated for its refined minimalist dramas and avant-garde experimentation; it also introduced popular genres like jidaigeki (samurai epics), kaiju, and anime. Across both high art and mass entertainment, it often explores morality, impermanence, and the pressures of modern life.

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The psychological thriller subgenre features the psychological and emotional states of characters, as well as the tension and suspense created through their mental and emotional experiences. These stories often involve intricate plots, complex characters, and situations that challenge the perceptions and sanity of the protagonists.

The horror genre features stories that aim to elicit fear, suspense, and a sense of dread in its audience. Horror stories often explore themes related to the unknown, the supernatural, and the macabre, and they frequently evoke strong emotional reactions such as anxiety, terror, and unease.

The thriller genre features suspense, tension, and excitement. These stories are known for keeping audiences on the edge of their seats and delivering intense emotional experiences by revolving around high-stakes situations, dangerous conflicts, and the constant anticipation of unexpected events.

A school teacher is woken by a sound that fills him with dread.

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Chime

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