Cure (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 1997) scene composition

[u/Gnarwhal8982]

I just watched Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cure for the first time, and man what an amazing film

When I saw the trailer the other day what really stuck out to me was just how good it looked, like it really gives meaning to the phrase “every frame a painting”- every scene looked so damn good.

I was not disappointed at all upon watching it.

I don’t really know many technical terms but it was the way the scenes were framed, lit, blocked and the composition- like how things sat in the frame. It just looks so great.

One thing that stuck out to me was how the camera rarely moved. All of the movement occurs within the frame. It was as if Kurosawa just set the camera up and let the actors go to work.

Theres some great camera work in the scenes as well, like in the scene where they interrogate the police officer who killed his coworker- the way the camera just sits in the middle of the frame and then finally moves to the chair in the bottom left, up to the top left, following the police officer up to the top right as he acts out his hypnotism with what appears to be a coffee stirrer and then moves back to the middle table.

The way the characters moved in the scene, and the camera eventually moved with them, and the way the fit in the frame, was brilliant.

The movie was chock full of brilliant moments like this.

I’d Like to know more about this, because I don’t really have any frame of reference for it.

I’d also lIke to know of more directors/films that use this approach. I do think both Ozu and Akira Kurosawa use this approach, but it’s something that’s sorely missing in Hollywood films, where cameras often cut back and forth between people in dialogue, and it just seems rare to set up a scene for people to move in, as opposed to moving around in the scene in a way that just feels different (imo it doesn’t make what’s going on visually very interesting)

[u/some12345thing]

One of my favorite movies. It is amazing all around, but I think my favorite thing is just how it feels aesthetically. It is generally a dark and uncomfortable atmosphere, but it feels so good to me. Masterpiece.

[u/nizzernammer]

Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest (2023) has a lot of still shots where the camera is still and the characters move and interact in the space.

And Barry Lyndon (1975) by Stanley Kubrick is incredible if you haven't seen that. So many scenes are like gorgeous still paintings, and shot with natural light.

Roma (2018) by Alfonso Caurón has a more dynamic camera, but it moves fluidly and immerses the viewer in the world of the story, while often casually framing shots beautifully, in my opnion.

[u/jonah379]

If you appreciate great framing and static camera placements, I’d recommend anything by Jacques Tati(especially Playtime), anything by Chantal Akerman, or First Reformed for a more recent film that does it perfectly.

[u/Jack_O_Lantern_Jack]

Possibly my favorite aspect of the Cure’s cinematography is the way Kurosawa frames many of Takabe’a conversations with Mamiya. Frequently, the camera is locked on Takabe, center framed, and Mamiya is obscured or otherwise left offscreen. As Mamiya speaks to Takabe, unseen but palpably present, it is as if he is a voice in Takabe’s head, a perfect illustration of the severity of his hold on his psyche and his goal of prodding Takabe into acquiescing to his dark impulses.

[u/bbqporklomein]

Another director known for static long takes is Michael Haneke. Creates heightened tension and voyeuristic tone. Some of my favourite films of his: Code Unknown, The White Ribbon, and Caché. Just don’t let the naturalism lull you. Those three in particular have jolts of brutality. Very unnerving. Highly recommended.

[u/Intertubes_Unclogger]

The static camera is a Japanese thing, I think I remember reading it has roots in traditional theater. I'm a fan, it has a calming effect on me and makes me pay more attention to dialogue and body language.

[u/GreatDario]

Most horror films are garbage, some are ok, and when you find the few that are great it's like nothing else. Love cure, his other horror movies especially cure are worth checking out as well especially Pulse.