Of those few films I've seen to date from Kiyoshi Kurosawa I've enjoyed or loved most, though by no means are all equal. Here, I simply don't know what he was doing. By the time one-third of the runtime has elapsed no sign of discrete plot has manifested; what we have had is a collection of scenes that are random and detached, with connective threads so intangible and speculative that the stereotypical fringe conspiracy theorist, with his string and corkboard, is about as reasonable in his ramblings as what any average viewer may suppose. Dialogue is sparse, and irrelevant to any sense of "storytelling," by which I mean some acts of violence, some moments of people apparently behaving abnormally, and some moments of people engaging with electronic technology of one type or another. I'm reminded of 2001's 'Pulse,' which was big on atmosphere and incredibly vague with its ideas; the difference is that 'Barren illusions' has no atmosphere, and is, astoundingly, even more vague with its ideas. I've read the one-line synopsis. To sit and watch, connections between that outside context and the scenes playing out seem tenuous at best; with or without that outside context, I'm at best unsure if each scene in turn is enough to meaningfully begin to form a notion of what this movie might be about.
I guess it's well made, such as it is, but I can't bring myself to care about acting or craftsmanship when the theoretical substance is so hopelessly indefinite, nebulous, hazy, and downright indiscernible and flummoxing. What was Kurosawa intending with 'Barren illusions?' What should I be taking away from it? I genuinely don't know. I read what others have written about the picture and I wonder if they watched the same thing that I did. I came here expecting plot, or at least meaning, and what I got was purely amorphous and indescribable. I know enough to recognize that the filmmaker operates on a level of esoteric intellectualism and artistry that's purposefully shrouded in mystery, closely-held secrets, and lofty symbolism, but there's a difference between swimming in a lake and diving in headfirst then refusing to come up for air. I'm simply at a loss. I guess I'm glad for those who check out this picture and find it to be a satisfying, worthwhile experience, but I've a hard time believing anyone could appreciate it without being on the same exact, precise wavelength as Kurosawa - and to that point, I don't know who I would or could ever recommend this to, because I don't know anyone who I'd anticipate to feel any differently than I do. Check it out if you want, but don't say you haven't been forewarned, and I wish you the best of luck.
