Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s French-language remake of The Serpent’s Path plunges into the depths of grief and vengeance, following a father’s relentless and macabre quest for justice alongside a manipulative psychotherapist, set against the eerie backdrop of a surreal France.
Watching Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s French-language remake of Hebi no Michi (The Serpent’s Path) makes us wonder how macabre or grim a story can be told. As a person who was entranced by the Japanese version from 1998, this film still holds a candle to the original crime thriller, albeit it sounds a bit surreal to be set in France.
This is Kurosawa’s third film in 2024 at the 72nd San Sebastian International Film Festival (SSIFF), where it is in competition and also had its European Premiere. Earlier in the year, the prolific Japanese director premiered Chime at the the 2024 Berlinale, a 45-minute thriller, and Cloud at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival.
This remake features French actors Damien Bonnard, Mathieu Amalric, Grégoire Colin, and Japanese actress Ko Shibasaki. Set in France, the film is a revenge thriller about grieving father Albert (Damien Bonnard), who is fueled by revenge and anger to find those responsible for the murder and mutilation of his eight-year-old daughter. He is joined by Japanese psychotherapist Sayoko (Ko Shibasaki), who becomes his partner in finding the culprits and punishing them. Thus begins the macabre series of kidnappings and torture that seems never-ending as each ‘culprit’—employees and associates of a shady corporation called Minard—provides more information, leading the film to take a turn for the dreadfully ominous.
Kurosawa’s films often have twisted plots and subplots that take us deeper into the characters’ psyches. While the torture continues, Sayoko is seen treating her other patients, including suicidal ones who complain that her prescribed medication doesn’t seem to work. This overlaps with Albert’s situation, as he seems to be under Sayoko’s spell, thus revealing her to be a manipulator playing everyone against each other to reach her ultimate goal.
The constant repetition of a monologue about the gruesome murder of Albert’s daughter lets you imagine the pain and trauma the girl must have undergone, thus creating a series of imaginative scenes in the audience’s minds.
Kurosawa keeps his gauntlet on achieving discomfort and uneasiness for the audience but somehow lacks in maintaining the pace of the film, unlike his original one.
We are delighted to be reporting live from the 72nd San Sebastian International Film Festival, running on September 20-28, 2024 in Spain.
