In the Realm of the Senses

Nagisa Oshima's In the Realm of the Senses (1976) is by far the most sexually perverse film I've ever seen. It portrays sex in a very graphic way and occasionally blurs the line between cinema and porn - although the action is never even nearly as sexually arousing as porn (which is hard to do yet Oshima succeeds very well). The film focuses on an obsessive relationship which gradually becomes very extreme as the man and the woman search for the "height of passion".

Sex becomes more ordinary as it is shown most of the time throughout the film and becomes a new tool of storytelling. A lot of character development is portrayed through it instead of dialogue or other action. Their sexual obsession separates them from the surrounding society - only occasionally reminded by the presence of a geisha. There is also a subtle political subtext in the film (takes places in pre-WW2 Japan).

Oshima's form is breathtaking in its beautiful cinematography. Its excessive use of close distance shots is effective - and the few long distance shots are even more powerful and they add a lot of nuances to the film. Even though Oshima depicts the controversial sex scenes from a close distance, he observes them rather coldly with a calm pacing and unerotic compositions.

In the Realm of the Senses was (and still is) a very controversial film and I would recommend avoiding it if you can't watch a film half of which depicts sexual activities.

Score: 9 out of 10