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Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Director, writer and actor, also editor · Born July 19, 1955 (71) · Kobe, Japan

3 Cannes awards · Venice award winner

Kiyoshi Kurosawa (黒沢 清, Kurosawa Kiyoshi, born July 19, 1955; Kobe) is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film critic, actor, and professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. Noted for his psychological films that often focus on ambiguous narratives and on their characters' inner turmoils and quests for meaning and connections, he is best known for his contributions to psychological horror and Japanese horror, notably his acclaimed 1997 film Cure, although he has also worked in a variety of other genres.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 19, 1955 (71)
From
Kobe, Japan
Works as
Director, writer and actor, also editor
Titles
28 on MovieCove · 106 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Up 19% in 30 days

What are Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films like?

Across their 25 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Horror7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
27%
Survival
18%
Bonds
18%
Society
15%
Morality
11%
Ideas
10%
Power
1%
Identity11 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTechnology3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 23 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 3 · Serious 7 · Dark 13

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 11 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 10 · Intense 11

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 14 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 8

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 9

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Dread
15
Tense
16
Melancholic
10
Contemplative
9
Warm
4
Other
12

How their films linger

Haunting15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet13
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous10

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 28 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Kiyoshi Kurosawa's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

106 credits, 28 with a MovieCove page; 21 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Samurai and the Prisoner(2026)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Cloud(2024)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Chime(2024)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Serpent's Path(2024)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Breakfast of the Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Actor

  • The J-Horror Virus(2023)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Modern Love Tokyo(2022)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • Actually... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Director

  • Wife of a Spy(2020)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • To the Ends of the Earth(2019)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Brand New Legend of the Stardust Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Actor

  • Foreboding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director · Teleplay

  • Foreboding: Serial Version (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 5 episodes · Director · Teleplay

  • Before We Vanish(2017)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Junichiro Hayashi: Creepy Images (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Thanks · as Himself

  • Daguerrotype(2016)

    Director · Scenario Writer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Creepy(2016)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Journey to the Shore(2015)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Japanscope, panorama de la nouvelle Nouvelle Vague (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Actor

  • Henri Langlois vu par... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · as Self

  • Seventh Code (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · Writer

  • Real (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Penance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Beautiful New Bay Area Project (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Beautiful 2013 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director

  • Wordholic Prisoner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director

  • Penance(2012)

    Show 5 episodes · Director · Creator · Writer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • 女優霊の原点・幻のフィルム 『シェラデコブレの幽霊』を探して (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as 自己

  • Tokyo Sonata(2008)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Retribution(2006)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Masters of Killing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Actor

  • What's a Director? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Actor

  • Loft(2005)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Pulse(2006)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Reincarnation(2005)

    as Professor Kawashima

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Time Slip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director

  • Kazuo Umezu's Horror Theater: House of Bugs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director

  • Ghost Cop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director

  • Séance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director · Teleplay

  • Soul Dancing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director · Writer

  • 突貫ジジイ 第5話 ある実験 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Actor

  • Doppelganger(2003)

    Director · Editor · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • 3 on 3 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Actor

  • Bright Future(2002)

    Director · Editor · Writer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Deka Matsuri (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director · Actor

  • The Detective Who Can Say No (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Actor

  • Recitation Travelogue - Masterpieces of Japan: Matasaburo the Wind Imp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • Ju-on: The Grudge(2002)

    Creative Consultant

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • School Ghost Story: Mononoke Special (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Pulse(2001)

    Director · Writer · as Man in Internet (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Gore from Outer Space (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Actor

  • Hanako San (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Barren Illusion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Charisma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director · Screenplay

  • License to Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director · Screenplay

  • School Ghost Story G (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • Eyes of the Spider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Serpent's Path (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • Kodama (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • Cure(1997)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • School Ghost Story F (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director

  • The Revenge: A Scar That Never Disappears (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Wild Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Actor

  • The Revenge: A Visit from Fate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director

  • A Haunted School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Photography professor

  • Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself!! The Hero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself!! The Nouveau Riche (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Door III(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself!! The Gamble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself!! The Loot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself!! The Escape (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Suit Yourself or Shoot Yourself!! The Heist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Writer

  • Men of Rage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Writer

  • Yakuza Taxi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Guard from Underground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Whirlpool of Joy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director · Writer

  • Mikadroid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Military Police Officer A

  • Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Passenger with flowers

  • The Enchantment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    as Librarian

  • Dangerous Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Sweet Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director · Writer

  • Tanaka kozue-sei no kageki-ha kyō kara wa binetsu hito (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Actor

  • Bumpkin Soup(1985)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • The Legend of the Stardust Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    as Visitor of Salon "Uonome"

  • Yatsura wa konya mo yattekita (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

  • The Funeral(1984)

    as Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Kandagawa Pervert Wars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The New Seven Lines Between Things (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director

  • So Long, My Partner: Rock Is Sex (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Writer

  • Wolf: Running Is Sex (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Production Assistant

  • LOSING THE WAY (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Yakuza

  • The Night Before the Escape (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • Sailor Suit and Machine Gun(1981)

    Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Vertigo College (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director · as Manager

  • All Girls Are Twins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Actor

  • The Man Who Stole the Sun(1979)

    Assistant Director · as Suspect on TV News

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • School Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • SCHOOL SOUNDS (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Actor

  • Fangs Crazy for White Skin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director · as Narrator (voice)

  • West Wind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    as Bazin

  • Record of Indefinite Travel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director

  • The Flashing Signal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director

  • Teacher of Violence: Massacre in Broad Daylight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director

  • Rokkô (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director

  • Making of Charisma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Pulse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Original Film Writer

Career shape

A full career of 106 titles, 104 of them dated from 1973 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Pulse (2006)

$30M worldwide

Highest rated

Tokyo Sonata (2008)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

Cure (1997)

Film career

  • 1979Screen debut· The Man Who Stole the Sun

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting30 of 106: 25 only acting, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score70thDirecting73 of 106: 25 only directing, 48 with another role · typical Midcredits score60thWriting48 of 106: 3 only writing, 45 with another role · typical Midcredits score60thEditing2 of 106: 0 only editing, 2 with another roleOther crew6 of 106: 4 only other crew, 2 with another role

106 titles, 49 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 45 of them.

By decade

1970s9 · 4 acting · 7 crew1980s17 · 7 acting · 11 crew1990s26 · 4 acting · 22 crew2000s24 · 9 acting · 17 crew2010s19 · 3 acting · 16 crew2020s9 · 2 acting · 7 crew

Billing

usually 20th · top billed in 0% of 5 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

Awards

4 major awards from 13 major nominations, 1999–2020.

WinNomination
  1. 2020
    • Venice award, won · Best Director
    • Venice award, nominated · Best Film
  2. 2017
    • Cannes award, nominated
  3. 2015
    • Cannes award, won
    • Cannes award, nominated
  4. 2008
    • Cannes award, won
    • Cannes award, nominated
  5. 2003
    • Cannes award, nominated
  6. 2001
    • Cannes award, won · Un Certain Regard
    • Cannes award, nominated
  7. 1999
    • Cannes award, nominated · Directors' Fortnight
    • Cannes award, nominated
    • Venice award, nominated

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of all 26; across their 23 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Approval · how many liked their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Midcredits score across 28 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th15
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 28 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · director, writer

Loft (2005)

55th percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer

Tokyo Sonata (2008)

Midcredits 96th · 83% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 76/100 and the pacing 39/100 in their films, across 20 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Kiyoshi Kurosawa's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles56–87 · median 60 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 25 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 35 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 87 · severeMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Kiyoshi Kurosawa work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Akiko Ashizawa shares the most, 8.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles