Serpent's Path

by Kiyoshi Kurosawa

In the suburbs of Paris, Albert, a freelance reporter, vows to take revenge for the brutal murder of his young daughterwhileSayoko, a Japanese female doctor, assists him in his quest for revenge. With Sayoko’sskillful guidance, the two get closer to the truth behind Albert’sdaughter's death, but it turns out that a mysterious cult and human traffickers are involved in the case. When they finally get close to the truth, Sayoko’s real intention is revealed... What is Sayoko's true purpose, and why does she help Albert to complete the revenge in such a ruthless way?

  • Born in 1955, Hyogo Prefecture. He began making 8mm films while a student at university and made his commercial film debut in 1983.

    In 1997, his crime thriller CUREbrought him international attention, followed by Serpent’s Path(1998), License to Live(1998) and Pulse(2001).

    His Bright Future wasaPalme d'Or nominee in 2003 Canne Films Festival. In 2015, his film Journey to the Shore won the prize for Best Director in UnCertainRegardsinCannes.In 2016, his thriller Creepypremiered at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.

    In 2020, Kurosawa won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the 77th Venice International Film Festival for his film Wife of a Spy. In 2024, Chime, a film he directed and wrote, will be distributed exclusively on Roadstead.

  • Year: 2024

    Country: France, Japan, Belgium, Luxembourg

    Runtime: 112 min

    Color: Color

    Language: French, Japanese

    Subtitles: English

    Sound: 1.66:1

  • Crew

    Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
    Writers: Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Hiroshi Takahashi, and Aurélien Ferenczi
    Cinematography: Alexis Kavyrchine
    Music: Nicolas Errèra
    Editing: Thomas Marchand
    Producers: Takeo Kodera, Julien Deris, David Gauquié, and Jean-Luc Ormières

    CAST

    Kō Shibasaki as Sayoko Mijima
    Damien Bonnard as Albert Bacheret
    Mathieu Amalric as Laval
    Grégoire Colin as Pierre Guérin
    Hidetoshi Nishijima as Yoshimura
    Munetaka Aoki as Soichiro
    Vimala Pons as Lola
    Slimane Dazi as Christian 

  • San Sebastián International Film Festival

    Busan International Film Festival

    Beyond Fest

    Kaohsiung Film Festival

    Göteborg Film Festival

    Luxembourg City Film Festival

  • “Challenging, rewarding and gripping.”

    —Midnight Eye

  • “Disturbing, elegant.”

    —Gazettely

  • "Ko Shibasaki shreds this entire movie, such a fine-tuned performance of expertly calibrated menace and simmering, ambiguous rage".

    — Mitchell Beaupre, Letterboxd