PULSE

In Japanese with English subtitles One of the greatest, most gripping achievements in Japanese horror, and a dark mirror for our terminally online world. Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s shattering masterpiece from 2001 is beyond liminality, beyond dimension, giving us a despair and isolation decades ahead of its time — while still rooting itself in the sound design and dread of David Lynch, along with the emotional high notes of Bernard Hermann’s scores for Hitchcock. At the turn of the millennium, a group of young people in Tokyo experience an increasing number of missing co-workers, technological breakdown, and a mysterious website which asks: “Do you want to meet a ghost?” After the sudden deaths of several friends, three strangers explore a city that grows more empty by the day — and attempt to solve what lies within a forbidden room in an abandoned construction site, mysteriously sealed shut with red packing tape. The Belcourt Theatre does not provide advisories about subject matter or potential triggering content, as sensitivities vary from person to person. Beyond the synopses, trailers and review links on our website, other sources of information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches. * Introduction from film critic Jason Shawhan * Costume contest hosted by Jessica Breanne & Coley Hinson * Introduction from local horror director Donald Farmer