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In the Realm of the Senses

In the Realm of the Senses

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Summary

A fictionalized retelling of the story of Sada Abe, whose affair with her master quickly turned obsessive and sadomasochistic.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

David Parkinson

Based on a notorious murder case that scandalised Japan in the 1930s, Nagisa Oshima's tale of extreme, obsessive passion is also a complex study of gender, status and oppression. It follows a geisha (Eiko Matsuda) and her lover (Tatsuya Fuji) as they willingly risk death in a bid to find ultimate sexual fulfilment in a restrictive militarist society. But in the same way that the sexual frankness of Last Tango in Paris prevented some critics responding to it objectively, the eroticism here is so hardcore that it has invariably obstructed a considered assessment of the writer/director's achievement. However, this is a story laced with cultural and historical allusions, as well as imagery that's as beautiful as it is powerful. The result is uncomfortable but challenging viewing.

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6.6/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameKichi-zoTatsuya FujiSadaEiko MatsudaTokuAoi NakajimaMaid MatsukoMeika SeriOld beggarTaiji TonoyamaMaid TsuneHiroko FujiGeisha YaejiNaomi ShiraishiHangyokuKyoko Okada

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Crew

rolenameDirectorNagisa Oshima

Details

Theatrical distributor

BFI

Released on

2009-08-28

Languages

Japanese

Guidance

Contains violence and sex scenes.

Available on

video, DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

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