KimStim has acquired the remake of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Serpent’s Path, set to be released this summer.

      The fact that every recent Kiyoshi Kurosawa project—including some that are just 45 minutes long and began as NFTs—can receive a theatrical release makes the absence of a release for Serpent’s Path particularly strange, considering it is a deserving remake of his 1998 film. (Even the restoration of that poignant work got a proper theatrical run while the new film was left without one.) We need no longer ponder the reasons behind this and will refrain from further complaints, as we are delighted to announce that KimStim will be releasing Serpent’s Path this summer at the IFC Center, presumably followed by a North American expansion.

      The film stars Damien Bonnard (Poor Things) and Ko Shibasaki (The Boy and the Heron), alongside co-stars Hidetoshi Nishijima (Drive My Car), Mathieu Amalric, and Grégoire Colin, who frequently collaborates with Claire Denis. Viewers familiar with Kurosawa’s original will recognize its foundational concept but will be surprised by its distinctive paths—particularly a reflection of the director's own outsider experience. Given that the first installment was complemented by Eyes of the Spider, which featured overlapping cast, crew, and themes, it seems that Serpent’s Path is not so much a remake but rather the third entry in a series. (Kurosawa has stated he sees it as aligning more closely with his creative vision.) However, I’ll leave it to you to watch the film and form your own opinion.

      The official synopsis and poster are included below:

      

      “Kiyoshi Kurosawa revisits and reinterprets his 1998 thriller in this haunting French-language adaptation of Serpent’s Path, transforming a revenge narrative into a chilling exploration of grief, guilt, and moral decline. Moving the setting from Tokyo to the desolate outskirts of Paris, the film follows a grieving father (Damien Bonnard) as he embarks on a complex quest for vengeance against a shadowy child-trafficking organization called ‘The Circle,’ aided by the mysterious and unsettling Sayoko, portrayed with an enigmatic presence by Ko Shibasaki. Building on the original's psychological landscape while preserving its ominous inevitability, Kurosawa delivers a masterclass in atmosphere and existential dread, once again demonstrating why he is considered one of cinema's foremost creators of unease.”