Love Exposure

I reviewed Sion Sono's Love Exposure (2009) last December after I had seen it for the first time. I finally decided to rewatch the epic 4-hour film now that I own it on DVD. The film doesn't lose even a shred of its tremendous power on a rewatch. The experience of watching the film for the first time was so involving that I mostly forgot to approach it more analytically. During this rewatch I received the chance to fix that and the film still holds up as one of the greatest films I've ever seen.

Essentially Love Exposure is a love story. Try to imagine the most absurd and convoluted love story ever made and make it one that is intensive and interesting for 4 hours - then you are close to understanding what Love Exposure is like. Add outrageously funny jokes, an exploration of religious problems, crossdressing as a serious story device and a lot of other things. Love Exposure explores so many different directions it's a miracle that it is even coherent.

Even though (obsessive/delusive) love is more like a frame story in Love Exposure it is also an important, central subject/theme in the film. As the title suggests the film is about "being exposed to love", but the film adds its own twist to it by exposing love to a few of the most mentally screwed characters of the decade. The conflicts and problems of organized religion are approached via moral corruption and amorality that is guaranteed to disturb anyone. It really tells something about the film's perversive screenplay that panties and hard-ons are used as significant motifs for self-discovery.

Not only does the writing switch constantly between different moods (tangible drama/tragedy & laugh-out-loud comedy), the form is very flexible as well. Visually Sono employs interesting techniques on different occassions: Tarantino-esque editing and camerawork, long take aesthetic, modern shakycam (surprisingly well done in the right context) and even splitscreens. He knows exactly when to pause the chaotic madness and lets the audience catch their breath - and even then the plot marches forward at an insane pace. The soundtrack also reflects the various moods by alternating between Yura Yura Teikoku's charming psychedelic rock and classical music.

Due to its enormous length the film relies a lot on its young cast. Nishijima, Mitsushima and Ando perform superbly - and even though Nishijima does most of the heavy lifting, the ladies steal every scene they are in. Weirdly enough that never distracts the audience because Sono manages to make it feel fitting/justified.

Love Exposure is Sono's magnum opus in all possible ways: it delves into heavy themes while retaining his interest for gore. It's one hell of a tour de force for everyone involved in the production because it is utterly complex yet surprisingly simple and understandable at the same time. It's not only a technical exercise in complexity and absurdity, it's also emotionally involving to the point that it becomes a truly enjoyable catharsis for the viewer.

Score: 10 out of 10

Wings of Honneamise

Hiroyuki Yamaga's Wings of Honneamise (1987) is a story of an ambitious space flight program set in a parallel universe. The premise might seem simple, but I assure you that the execution is very complicated. The film touches on dozens of things that it becomes rather hard to summarize it properly. Its dense narrative, fine characters and thoroughly explored themes guarantee a great experience for someone who is willing to dig deeper.

The pacing is peculiar in Wings of Honneamise: even though the narrative is dense, it seems as if the film crawls slowly towards the climax. This rough editing actually enhances the film's (especially the climax's) impact on the viewer. There are also great examples of how to use montages in the film - for example the launch sequence is one of the most gripping animated sequences ever. The art design is also rather fascinating. The musical score seemed offbeat initially, but once you got used to it, it actually worked quite well.

Ultimately, Wings of Honneamise is a perplexing film: everything works well, but it was so exhausting that I'm not sure if it's a masterpiece or not.

Score: 8 out of 10

Love Exposure

At first, I'm going to warn you about this review: it's not probably going to be coherent because it's more like a recollection of my viewing experience than a good review. I apologise in advance for the possible inconvenience caused by the review.

Sion Sono's Love Exposure (2008) is a long film. Its length is around 4 hours. Describing the film is nigh-impossible because it touches on so many things and one could say it has "too much of everything". Yet, it works flawlessly. Love. Religion. Family. School. Society. Delusion. Obsession. Perversion. Crossdressing. Sexuality.

During the first 10 minutes, the film provides us with 3 major characters (not the only major characters though) in a dense introduction. After that, all hell breaks loose already. Try to imagine the most wonderful and funniest farce you've ever seen. For me, that was Visitor Q's last 15 minutes. Love Exposure is even funnier than that - for the first hour and a half. It is so tongue-in-cheek about everything. The plot becomes quite complicated - although completely comprehensible all the time - and I have to admit I have never ever laughed as much as I did during the farcical period.

After laughing very, very hard I did not expect what was coming. I was trolled really hard as the film became serious yet it still retained its cartoonish tone at the same time. For a moment, I was utterly lost and felt disappointed, but then I realised how Sono had trolled me completely. Before I got used to the change of tone, I was completely mindfucked by the film. The flick was so intense that it grabbed me from my balls and just kept throwing me around for ages. That was the point when I realised how the film had me think and attacked my world view in a way only Neon Genesis Evangelion had done to me.

After the initial reaction to the mindfuck, things became a bit smoother for a while - until the film made me weep. The utter sadness was only interrupted by one laugh-out-loud moment, but the ending really tied it all together somehow. While the film was very depressive most of the time - or at least seemed so under its playful mood - the ending was extremely uplifting. The cathartic impact is undeniable for the film is life-affirming beyond comprehension.

While it is possible to doubt its content by looking at its narrative which seems unnecessarily complex, it would be simply dumb to criticize the film for that. It never failed to impress me despite its possible weaknesses and the power of its complicated structure is harrowing. Sono's editing is quite frantic most of the time, but it is never distracting. It builds up more and more tension as the film goes on - and releases in a few glorious moments. And when it does calm down for a moment, it is even more intensive. In those moments Sono leaves the film on the shoulders of the actors - and it is even more powerful that way.

Speaking of acting, the performances are pitch-perfect in the film. How is it possible to have 3 perfect tour de force performances in one film? Especially Hikari Mitsushima's performance as Yoko is haunting and magnificent.

The soundtrack for the film is baffling. It ranges from classical Western music to J-Pop. Sono's use of Ravel's Bolero is heart-rending and unforgettable.

How is it even possible to craft such a solid and perfect entirety out of such bizarre and diverse elements? Love Exposure has proved me cinema can go further than I believe. Now I'm afraid I might not like it as much when I rewatch it, but I'll leave that for later.

Score: 10 out of 10

Ran

Even though Akira Kurosawa continued making films in the 90's, Ran (1985) is commonly considered his final masterpiece. It is also one of his biggest productions ever - even though he used "only" 1400 extras, it feels like there are a lot more of them (Kurosawa directed the massive sequences in a clever way). The film is the story of an old lord who lets his three sons take his position, assuming that they will work together as he suggested. Shortly thereafter, the two corrupt sons betray their father and the youngest brother.

The film's screenplay was inspired by Japanese history (the daimyo Mori Motonari) and Shakespeare (King Lear). On top of that, it deals with Kurosawa's own views about loyalty. Kurosawa approaches loyalty as a theme in all of the film's storylines (there are a lot of them even though the plot description doesn't show it). He mixes elements of greed, lust, power and guilt with the main theme and thus, it becomes a deep exploration of the ugly sides of humanity. Especially his take on guilt is fascinating: once the old lord has lost everything, he goes insane due to his guilt and even tries to dig himself a grave. Kurosawa's take is ambitious in its complexity - and what's the best thing about it is that he succeeds perfectly.

Surprisingly, there are bursts of cruel violence and blood in Ran. It is something Kurosawa has never emphasized in his films before. Especially for a Kurosawa fan this film hits hard because it seems him go to an extremely poignant level in delivering his message. Kurosawa uses music sparsely in the film, but it even further punctuates the moments he uses it in. The most unforgettable scene is the assault of the third castle during which the old lord becomes mad: the sound effects disappear and there is only music during the disturbing sequence of violence. The silence of sound effects ends to the sound of a gunshot - and its effect is astonishing.

Kurosawa spent a LOT of time (around 10 years) storyboarding the film - by PAINTING each shot beforehand. The result is breathtaking because each shot is so carefully composed. The lines and the colors are in perfect harmony. The editing is also remarkable in how it flawlessly brings the story together and gives it the magnificent pace.

The tragedy in Ran is heartbreaking. The characters are corrupted more as the film goes on - and everything is slowly crushed and taken away. Especially the ending left me a little teary-eyed. It is a simply stunning experience to watch the film.

Score: 10 out of 10

Seven Samurai

Akira Kurosawa's epic masterpiece, Seven Samurai (1954), is constantly brilliant throughout its monstrous running time (three and half hours). In the film, a poor village hires seven samurais to protect them from bandits. The first third of the film shows how they acquire these samurais; the second third involves the planning and construction before the battle; the final third is the long battle itself. The idea might seem simple, but the film's screenplay is stunningly complex.

First of all, Kurosawa's skill to craft 12 essential and unforgettable characters in the film is staggering. There are not many (if any) other films which feature such a flawless and colorful ensemble. The samurai are often mentioned to be the most memorable characters in the film, but I thought the five important villagers were as awesome as the samurai. Even though Toshiro Mifune's Kikuchiyo is the craziest one, the villager Yohei is the endless source of comic relief.

Secondly, despite its length the film is very dense in its narrative. It runs at a fast pace and only the essential is shown onscreen. It is incredible how well Kurosawa brings all the multiple storylines together without a single problem. Also, the film's most remarkable narrative achievement is that you never feel like you are watching a long film.

Thirdly, the content is so rich that there is no way I can comment on everything in a simple review: I would have to make a long essay to cover everything which is awesome in the film's content.

As expected, Kurosawa's form is brilliant in Seven Samurai. The music is not distracting this time - instead it is very effective. His compositions are great yet again. The pacing is brilliant because you dont even realise you have spent 3 hours watching the film until you are at the end. To be completely honest, the film was so involving and story-driven that there were moments when I realised I hadnt paid any attention to the form. I guess that's a testatment to its power.

The whole cast in the film is magnificent. Kurosawa's regulars Mifune and Shimura are the shining stars of the film, but the rest of the cast nearly rival them so there is no imbalance between the performances. I can rarely say it, but the acting in Seven Samurai is FLAWLESS - even though it is melodramatic.

Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai is one of the most praised masterpieces ever - and it is rightfully so. Its influence on other films is enormous and there isnt any other film that could even be honestly compared with it.

Score: 10 out of 10