Cast: Eiko Matsuda, Tatsuya Fuji
Director: Nagisa Oshima
Producer: Anatole Dauman
Screenplay: Nagisa Oshima
Cinematography: Kaji Wakamatsu
Music: Minaru Miki
U.S. Distributor: Argos Films
In Japanese with subtitles
Welcome to the realm of controversy.
Eighteen years after its production, Nagisa Oshima's film is still one of the most controversial films to have ever been completed. Widely banned when it was first released, In the Realm of the Senses was seen by few viewers during its initial theatrical run. Since the movie is too explicit for cable fare, the only place it can be seen these days is as an art house revival or on video - and there are many places around the world where videos of this picture are not permitted to be rented or sold.
There are two points-of-view regarding this film. The first is that In the Realm of the Senses is a deeply-disturbing examination of sexual obsession that requires its lurid candidness to fully explore the subject. The second is that the movie is a thinly-veiled attempt to dress up pornography in the guise of an art film. Which interpretation an individual viewer is likely to take depends as much on who they are as on what they see in the movie. It's safe to say that anyone offended by graphic sexual displays will not be impressed by In the Realm of the Senses.
The film centers of the relationship between a man, Kichi (Eiko Matsuda), and a prostitute, Sada (Tatsuya Fuji). What begins as a normal affair turns into something darker and more demanding. Sada tells Kichi to stop sleeping with his wife, or she'll kill him. As the days pass, the two begin to devote almost all their time together, until seemingly every waking hour is spent engaging in a variety of sexual acts whose nature grows progressively more dangerous.
Detailed visual depictions of sex do not have to be titillating. Such is the case with In the Realm of the Senses. Oshma's tone, reinforced by dim lighting and clinical camera angles, precludes eroticism. Especially towards the end, the danger inherent in Kichi and Sada's methods of intercourse is likely to disturb even the most stalwart viewer. That, however, is the director's intention. No one is meant to watch this movie with a detached eye - its depiction of obsession is far too powerful for that.
In the Realm of the Senses is not without its flaws. It could be reasonably argued that there is too much sex in the film, and that more time might have been used getting to know the characters in a setting other than the bedroom. Also, whatever fluid Oshima used for blood is rather unconvincing, and this almost undermines the gut-wrenching final scene.
In the Realm of the Senses is not for everyone. In fact, it's not for most people. The film takes an uncompromising attitude towards its subject, and those viewers who anticipate something different are going to be shocked. Approach this movie with an open mind and the expectation of being disturbed. Sexual obsession is not an easy topic to portray, and Oshima has taken a unique path in doing so. He succeeds almost too well.
© 1994 James Berardinelli