I can hardly claim perfect knowledge, but to date I've watched several of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films and absolutely loved them. Based on what little experience I've had I should've known that 'Daguerrotype' would be anything except totally straightforward. The thrust is clear enough, certainly, but like some of his other works, there's considerable offbeat subtlety in the storytelling to one degree or another, and one or two small pieces of dialogue may hold the key to the entire film. Characterized chiefly by long quiet, with generally only Gregoire Hetzel's softly haunting, somewhat sorrowful score for accompaniment, this is surely built for a relatively select audience. For those receptive to Kurosawa's style, however, it should prove to be rewarding and well worth exploring.
Even at his most straightforward the filmmaker can be a bit of an acquired taste; those who are more unfamiliar may take some solace in the fact that this is one of those, as there comes a point where it's easier than not to see where the story is headed. Nonetheless, he tries and succeeds here in employing the underhanded nuance that he has elsewhere, weaving elements of horror and romance into the drama in variable amounts. This also serves to throw hiccups in the way that work to maintain an air of mystery, not to mention sustain an unmistakably disquieting atmosphere. All the while 'Daguerrotype' rides a fine line between mystifying and obvious, secretive and transparent, moving forward and going nowhere. If anything think Kurosawa has difficulty, in this instance, in achieving that perfect careful balance, and the movie strays off course one way or the other over these 130 minutes, ultimately landing on a narrative that more than not is just what it seems, after all.
Even if it's not as strong or fully absorbing as some of the man's other films, however, still by and large I think this is very well done, and quite worthwhile. The result may be imperfect, but Kurosawa's writing is still deep and shrewd, filled with great ideas and superb scene writing. His direction is as deft and delicate as it has ever been, surely one of the primary strengths here alongside Hetzel's stirring music. The cast is excellent, coming in a close second after the direction as they give finessed performances that underscore the best intelligence the title has to offer. I'm of the mind that Constance Rousseau stands out most in that regard, though at different points her co-stars including Olivier Gourmet and Tahar Rahim definitely prove their skills. And in every other capacity this is wonderfully well made, including superb filming locations and production design, crystal clear sound design, splendid hair, makeup, and costume design, and so on. In most regards this is just as solid as one would hope.
In some measure I think 'Daguerrotype' is a tad less satisfying than the likes of, say, 'Cure,' or 'Charisma.' Sometimes a wild swing produces a home run, and sometimes it's a line drive, a foul, or even a miss. This is far better than not, by all means, but whether one is a fan of the filmmaker or just broadly looking for something to watch, I don't know that it will completely meet one's needs or expectations. Still, I remain pleased with how good the feature is, and for someone of Kurosawa's caliber to not meet with absolute success still is far above and beyond what many others could dream of accomplishing. This 2016 picture may not wholly demand viewership, but as far as I'm concerned it's still well worth checking out if one has the opportunity.
