The Cinematheque

“Far and away one of the best horror movies of the year … [A] terrifying masterpiece.”

Austen Goslin, Polygon

If Cure and Pulse established Kurosawa Kiyoshi as J‑horror’s master at unlocking the deeper strata of dread, Chime, his brilliant return to the genre, proves he still holds the key. One of three films debuted by the director in 2024 (Serpent’s Path, screening in September, is another), this impossibly taut 45-minute chiller posits the notion of an infectious tone that, once heard, carries malevolent consequence. A culinary student, driven to delusion then suicide, is the first casualty. His instructor (Yoshioka Mutsuo) appears to be next. Kurosawa’s surgical handling of the uncanny—his tools: a spectral tracking shot, unobvious sound design, and the recognition that nothing is more unsettling than ambiguity—is apparent in every refined moment, imbuing even (or especially) the mundane with latent horror. Originally sold and traded as an NFT, Chime will reportedly never be streamed or released on physical media. No matter—the cinema is the only setting for a tour de fear like this.

In Japanese with English subtitles

“Yet another reminder that Kurosawa is one of the world’s masters when it comes to unpacking the remarkably fragile line between good and evil … It’s [the film’s] brevity that helps give it so much power.”

Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com