MUBI

On to Nagisa Oshima’s “In the Realm of the Senses.” The most unsexy movie filled with about 80 percent if not more of sex. I felt at the end like I’d watched cats mate for half an hour. But this odd effect I am still sensing is why I think there is something brilliant about this film with the simplicity of the coverage, the fearless close-ups, and exploration without frills of something this culture if completely obsessed by: fucking. And how ultimately, it had the complete reverse effect of titillation and arousal that most sex scenes attempt to evoke. (Well, at least for me. I find pornography boring, and feel neither disgust or arousal from it, so perhaps I am not a good example.)

This film essentially explored the obsession of a couple that does pretty much nothing but have sex with each other. It was like watching two heroin addicts shoot up in a tiny room while you are strapped to a chair in the corner, forced to watch them suffocate themselves, dominated by their addiction to the point where they do not eat, they do not bathe, and they rarely leave the room. I think most directors would have injected their own moral and visual agenda quite heavy-handed into the treatment of this film, especially as it deals with the most sensitive subject in art: the depiction of sex. But Oshima was so simple and light-handed with the visual treatment of the film, that the agenda, if there was one, was so transparent and fluid. Some might argue that the use of close-ups on body parts and the general focus on the female’s experience of orgasm make it less light-handed than I suggest, but I think Oshima was attempting to not hide or amplify certain things that pornography tends to do. He captured scenes with straightforward still shots and close-ups. Bodies were as they were. Sex, the large amounts of it, was just as it was. The result of having such a transparent agenda, without the director telling us what to feel emotionally or physically, was the viewer was left to experience the sexuality of this film in a very personal manner. We were each left to bring our own various sexual ideas and psychology to this film, and that is where I feel this story had a level of brilliance rarely seen with sex scenes or films where sex plays a huge role.

Too often, viewers are told to feel aroused by the sex they are watching in movies, experience reassurance of their masculinity or femininity, or watch their fantasies unfold with movie stars who look nothing like the person we sleep next to each night. That is because movie sex, like movie life, is always bigger and grander than the real thing. “In the Realm of the Senses” evoked something of the opposite reaction, something of disgust and amazement at the levels this couple went with their obsession. If one were to just walk in to the middle of the film, it could be arousing briefly, but sitting through the whole experience leaves a sense of emptiness and the sad reminder that beneath our well-constructed façades of intelligence and politeness, we are fundamentally selfish animals driven by primitive impulses and the rewards of pleasure. It is our personal conflicts with this level of ourselves that gives the rise to all the fascinating and fruitful realities of obsessions, addictions, religion, and…well, art.

(This appears from my blog on blogger.com)

In the Realm of the Senses (Ai no corrida) by director Nagisa Oshima, proves to be a brutally wasteful and over the top sexual portrayal of some sort of sex-crazed revolution that had taken place prior to WWII. Due to the fact that this concept had struck me as intriguing and interesting, with a lot of the controversial aspect of the film kicking into my curiosity as well, the back of the Criterion DVD at a bookstore didn’t make it seem too bad, so I decided to pick this (what I thought would be an interesting film) up and watch it at home. I couldn’t count the amount of necessary scenes of fornication were taking place before my eyes on two hands, which is a shame. Sex scenes in films are usually there to support a purpose. Sure, the film may be based on a time of major sexual deviance, but this by no means needs to be shown every single minute of a movie, it became boring. Now perhaps this was the director’s original intention (judging from what I read from the inside pamphlet that came with the movie, where Oshima firmly states that in order to become immune to things that offend us (ex. sex), we must surround ourselves in it.) but regardless, wasting an hour and 50 minutes of an individual’s time by forcing scene after scene of penetration and meaningless fucking had no affect on my mind, other than making me say “ughh again?” for every 10 minutes wasted on that in the film. Save your time, its not worth watching this exploitative piece of Japanese cinema, that was only labeled controversial due to the director’s original intentions of the film being…well….controversial. Bad Movie.

I was geniunely shocked by the explicitness of the nudity and sex throughout In the Realm of the Senses. Given the date the film was made, it threw me for a loop. In my defense I will say that for the most part I am usually on the ball when it comes to the contents of the films I plan to watch before I actually watch them. Sometimes widely avaibable information just sleeps under the radar. It seems silly in hindsight, of course. In the Realm of the Senses has been considered one of those legendary taboo busters for its scenes of all varieties of sexual intercourse complete with vaginal penetration, I guess.

And boy, is there a lot of it! The main characters are defined almost solely by their sexual intercourse because there is nothing else, no plot, no characterization, etc. Sex becomes increasingly unpleasant, wildly depraved, and flat out “off-your-rocker” sadistic as the film progresses. These two just aren’t right in the head. Master. Servant. Both know what each other wants and understand what they need to do in order to recieve it. Heck, one even lets the other grab a knife and start cutting… <spoiler!>

This was simply a very boring film to watch for me. For one I won’t stand here and say that I possess a firm understanding of the historical context, the intimate knowledge of japanese culture in general, or in the bedroom, for something like In the Realm of the Senses to be considered a satisfying, worthwhile experience. For the time period? Forget about it. Oftentimes what we bring to a viewing of a film ultimately boils down what we can take away from it too.

/****