Love Exposure Review

December 1, 2009 · Posted in Japan News

Bottom Line: a dizzying farce of sex and perversion of religion – Japanese style.

TOKYO – Embarks son of a priest on the path of sin and photography panty motivated by compulsion in religion “Love Exposure.” Each type is put through the blender in the pot-pourri of references to Japanese pop culture and half-baked ideas of guilt Christian brainwashing institutional transvestism, voyeurism, sex and violence. Improbable twists, but joyous to the duration of the marathon (3 hours, 57 minutes) by fly like a roller-coaster ride.

Since its first edition in Tokyo FILMEX poet became director Shion Sono hit jackpot festival, pinning several awards. Although its length is an obstacle to market projections, long exposure DVD is assured.

Sono, whose portfolio grab-bag ( “Strange Circus”, “Noriko’s Dining Table”, “Exte”) is alternately kitschy, pseudo-intellectual and often sublime, these traits carried to extremes in “Love” obtaining instant cult status. Although self-indulgent, his strange reason is powered by the distributors who never misses a step, while treading the line between parody and pathos.

Widow Tetsu Catholic priest (Atsuro Watabe) begins a torrid affair with nymphomaniac Kaori (Makiko Watanabe). When leaving Kaori Tetsu, piety turns sour and he extorted confessions from young son Yu (Takahiro Nishijima). Running out of sins to confess, Yu became the disciple of a master of kung-fu specializes in the art of photography underwear illegal.

The scenes of Yu and his gang sneak their cameras under mini-skirts in public places are crowd pleasing Parodies Toei vintage B-movies and films from Hong Kong martial arts while reversing the image of the notorious Japanese “Chikan” ( perverse voyeur-) in the social rebels.

While cross-dressing that Sasori (the heroine of a ’80s TV drama), Yu Kaori unresponsive daughter Yoko (Hikari Matsushima). Yu, who has an Oedipus complex, is the love-struck because Yoko resembles his mother, whom he believes have been the Virgin Mary. However, Yoko, who has an Electra complex, hates men, so Yu is his disguise.

The connection between dysfunctional families and religious cults, explored in “Suicide Club” and “Noriko”, is revealed in the role of Aya Koike (Ando Sakura). Abused by her father, she castrated in a sordid scene, Koike is deputy leader of a cult named Zero. It intercepts romance protagonists not only by converting Yoko, but Tetsu and Kaori. However, Koike’s Most Wanted Yu target escapes. Yu battle for hi its climax near in the blood-spattering ballet.

The company, a refreshing set of veterans and newcomers total made a gradual transformation of the self-conscious theatricality fiercely for real expressions of suffering and transcendence. Kudos to PA to see Hikari Matsushima, which has a unique aura and master the subtle dichotomies of Madonna Yoko whore persona.

The credibility of passion Matsushima rises over the direction and dialogue Gimmicky flowers, especially when she recites the letter of Paul to the Corinthians, or when she confesses in the denouement, which makes these scenes ineffable moving and inspiring.

Despite claims to the anarchy and nihilism, “Love Exposure” is not radical in the middle of a maelstrom of social pathology, the quest for the proverbial love emphasizes the narrative.
Intellectuals raised in a Judeo-Christian may read satire PA UPS on religious and sexual hang as bold iconoclasm, when a large part probably comes from its misconceptions (such as Catholic priests to have children – many Japanese Buddhist and Shinto sects are hereditary). For him, religion is essentially a thematic hook to explore the dependence and obsessive behavior, while his wish was to break the herd mentality of Japan.

Venue: Tokyo International Film Festival FILMEX

Production: Omega Project, Studio Three Co.
Cast: Nishijima Takahiro, Hikari Mitsushima, Sakura Ando, Makiko Watanabe, Atsuro Watabe
Director-screenwriter: Shion Sono
Producer: Toyoyuki Yokohama, Shinya Kawai
Director of photography: Sohei Tanigawa
Production Designer: Takashi Matsuzuka
Costume: Hitoki Higuchi
Music: Tomohide Harada
Editor: Junichi Ito
Sales: Phantom Film Co.
No rating, 237 minutes