Serpent's Path (2024 film)

{{Infobox film

| name =

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| native_name = {{Infobox name module|French|La Voie du serpent}}

| director = Kiyoshi Kurosawa

| writer =

| screenplay = {{Plainlist|

Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Aurélien Ferenczi

}}

| story =

| based_on = {{Based on|Serpent's Path (1998)|Kiyoshi Kurosawa|Hiroshi Takahashi}}

| producer =

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| narrator =

| cinematography = Alex Kavyrchine

| editing = Thomas Marchand

| music = Nicolas Errera

| studio = {{Plainlist|

Cinefrance Studios
Kadokawa
Tarantula

}}

| distributor =

| released = {{Film date|df=y|2024|06|14|Japan|ref1={{cite web |last1=Schley |first1=Matt |title=Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa talks remaking crime thriller 'Serpent's Path' |url=https://www.kftv.com/news/2024/06/17/kiyoshi-kurosawa-serpents-path-remake-japan-france |website=KFTV News |access-date=31 July 2024}}}}

| runtime = 112 minutes

| country = {{Plainlist|

France
Japan

}}

| language = French

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Serpent's Path ({{langx|fr|La Voie du serpent}}) is a 2024 thriller film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa starring Damien Bonnard and Ko Shibasaki.{{cite web |last1=Raup |first1=Jordan |title=Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Serpent's Path and More Set for San Sebastián Film Festival |url=https://thefilmstage.com/kiyoshi-kurosawas-serpents-path-and-more-set-for-san-sebastian-film-festival/ |website=The Film Stage |date=30 July 2024 |access-date=31 July 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Newman |first1=Nick |title=First Image from Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Serpent's Path Remake, Set for 2024 Release |url=https://thefilmstage.com/first-image-from-kiyoshi-kurosawas-serpents-path-remake-set-for-2024-release/ |website=The Film Stage |date=30 August 2023 |access-date=31 July 2024}}

A French-language remake of Kurosawa's 1998 film of the same name, Serpent's Path screened at the 2024 San Sebastián International Film Festival.

Premise

Grieving father Albert enlists Japanese psychiatrist Sayoko to exact revenge on members of The Circle, an organ trafficking organization involved in the death of his eight-year-old daughter.{{cite web |last1=Hosoki |first1=Nobuhiro |title=Kiyoshi Kurosawa Revisits His Own Film, "Serpent's Path" for His Latest film, Le chemin du serpent |url=https://cinemadailyus.com/news/kiyoshi-kurosawa-revisits-his-own-film-serpents-path/ |website=Cinema Daily US |date=6 May 2024 |access-date=31 July 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Newman |first1=Nick |title=Kiyoshi Kurosawa Covers Classic Terrain In First Trailer for Serpent's Path |url=https://thefilmstage.com/kiyoshi-kurosawa-covers-classic-terrain-in-first-trailer-for-serpents-path/ |website=The Film Stage |date=19 April 2024 |access-date=31 July 2024}}

Cast

Damien Bonnard as Albert Bacheret
Ko Shibasaki as Sayoko Mijima
Mathieu Amalric as Laval{{cite web |last1=Newman |first1=Nick |title=Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Serpent's Path Remake Gets New Images and First Synopsis; Mathieu Amalric Confirmed to Star |url=https://thefilmstage.com/kiyoshi-kurosawas-serpents-path-remake-gets-new-images-and-first-synopsis-mathieu-amalric-confirmed-to-star/ |website=The Film Stage |date=20 March 2024 |access-date=31 July 2024}}
Grégoire Colin as Pierre Guérin
Hidetoshi Nishijima as Yoshimura, Sayoko's patient{{cite web |last1=Corpuz |first1=Florenda |title=Kiyoshi Kurosawa's French Remake of 'Serpent's Path' Could Be His Best Yet

|url=https://www.filipinojapanesejournal.com/kiyoshi-kurosawas-french-remake-of-serpents-path-could-be-his-best-yet/ |website=Filipino-Japanese Journal |date=11 June 2024 |access-date=31 July 2024}}

Munetaka Aoki as Soichiro, Sayoko's husband

Production

According to Kurosawa, the film originated with Cinefrance Studios' offer to remake one of his prior films in France. Kurosawa and French journalist Aurélien Ferenczi wrote the new version of the screenplay, changing the gender of the doctor role from the original screenplay by Hiroshi Takahashi. Serpent's Path was filmed on location in France in 2023.{{cite web |title=Serpent's Path - La Vengeance du Serpent |url=https://www.taxshelter.be/fr/node/91699 |website=Tax Shelter |access-date=31 July 2024}}

Release

Serpent's Path was released theatrically in Japan on 14 June 2024. The film will screen in competition at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival in September 2024.

It was also selected in Gala Presentation at the 29th Busan International Film Festival to be screened on October 4, 2024.{{Cite web|url=https://www.biff.kr/eng/html/program/prog_all_list.asp?allYear=2024 |title= The 29th Busan International Film Festival: Selection List |website=Busan International Film Festival|date=September 3, 2024|access-date=September 3, 2024|language=en}}

Reception

= Accolades =

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! scope="col" \| Award ! scope="col" \| Ceremony date ! scope="col" \| Category ! scope="col" \| Recipient(s) ! scope="col" \| Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable" \| Ref.
scope="row" \| San Sebastián International Film Festival \| 28 September 2024 \| Golden Shell for Best Film \| Serpent's Path \| {{nom}} \| align="center" \|

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

! scope="col" | Award

! scope="col" | Ceremony date

! scope="col" | Category

! scope="col" | Recipient(s)

! scope="col" | Result

! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Ref.

scope="row" | San Sebastián International Film Festival

| 28 September 2024

| Golden Shell for Best Film

| Serpent's Path

| {{nom}}