| Fearless performances |
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| written by brakhage |
June 3, 2005 - 7:38 AM PDT |
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3 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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| In a DVD extra, Asuka Kurosawa talks about throwing herself into her performance of Rinko with complete abandon, as if she wanted to remake or rediscover herself through playing the character. Kurosawa might not be Isabelle Huppert (who is genuinely frightening in her commitment to her roles) but she does a fantastic job and is completely convincing. Yuji Koutari, who's only been in one other film, is also great as the emotionally and sexually distant husband Shigehiko. The direction is at times interesting (as in the use of a handheld Dramamine-cam for a humiliating walk through a department store) and confusing (towards the end, I had a hard time following the action). Two scenes in particular break with the mood of the film and reflect the director's obsessions rather than serve the plot; instead of reinforcing an already dreamlike atmosphere (a la David Lynch) they throw off the film's pacing and otherwise consistent dedication to the more interesting emotional and sexual dynamic of the three main characters. Shinya "Ironman" Tsukamoto himself admits "I'm not sure why that's in there," which made me laugh. |
| other countries do it better |
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| written by WDiComo |
March 14, 2005 - 4:12 PM PST |
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0 out of 7 members found this review helpful
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| I'm scoring this high, with the criterion being imaginative eroticism. A woman's coming out party simply escalates. Be patient with a dull mid-section focusing on the husband, for afterwards there's a sexy finish that's a humdinger. |
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