S&M Hunter — New Tokyo Decadence: The Slave — Pink Eiga Double Feature — dvd reviews
Directors: Shuji Kataoka, Osamu Sato
Starring: Shiro Shimoto, Hiromi Saotome, Rinakao Hirasawa
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Action
The Japanese Pink film has seen quite the increase in popularity over the past few years, with films like the 1970’s ultra stylish and sexy Nikkatsu’s roman pornos and recent works of gonzo chaos such as The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai garnering both critical and cult acclaim. Today it would appear the Pink Film has gained full on hipster cred, with films screening at prominent independent film festivals, and no less than five art-house/eclectic dvd companies releasing pink film titles. Our beloved SFIndie fest is even screening Hisayasu Sato’s (Rafureshia, Splatter: Naked Blood) The Bedroom for Valentine’s Day!
If you’re not familiar with the pink film by now, rather than retread ground we’ve already covered, I’ll simply ask you check out a few of the above links, and note the words of Variety Asia’s Grady Hendrix:
“they’re usually the training ground for some great directors. Jazzy, snazzy and often totally, outrageously avant garde, they ain’t your garden variety pornos. In fact, they’re some of the most head-spinningly wild movies you’ll ever see, where making your brain bubble is the first priority and showing sex in a salacious manner is a distant second”
At the very front of this pack stands newcomer Pink Eiga, an independent releasing company (both festival screenings and dvd releases) focusing solely on noteworthy pink films, spanning genres from comedy to drama to action to the completely gonzo. Coming off a number of successful festival screenings (and the upcoming SFIndie Screening), Pink Eiga have released their first two DVD titles, a double-serving of shibari sexiness, the action comedy, S&M Hunter, and the true-story drama, New Tokyo Decadence: The Slave.
The first title, S&M Hunter was a huge hit at last year’s Fantastic Fest, and depicts – I’m not kidding – a superhero who battles female baddies using nothing other than his loving ropes of bondage. As can be expected, the film is anything but serious, featuring the hunter webbing women like spider-man, and plucking his threads of pleasure like an oh-so-perverted guitar hero. Even his call to action involves a request from a gay male estranged from his lover by way of a Nazi sukeban squad. Yes, this one’s definitely out there.
S&M Hunter is noticeably less stylish than some other Pink film released thus far, relying more on its sense of humor than any sort of visual panache to grab the viewer. And therein lies a bit of a problem, for the hunter proves something of a one note joke, which wears thin by close to the first half hour. The sex too, grows tiresome (at least for me), with the majority of sequences being drawn out past the point of cheesy gratification, and the girls being…well, a tad rough on the eyes. That said, even as a one-note joke, S&M Hunter is one of a kind. With a few buds and a few beers, I’d imagine the film could make for a pretty fun night.
The second title, New Tokyo Decadence: The Slave is where the real erotic and intellectual interest lies. Despite it’s American title, The Slave has no relation to Ryu Murakami’s Tokyo Decadence (thankfully). Instead, the film is the true tale of star Rinako Hirasawa’s introduction and subsequent addition to masochistic pleasure, as an office secretary turned bondage enthusiast, plays out as something like Steven Shainberg’s Secretary, complete with its healthy dose of dark comedy, but with an added twist of Boogie Nights-esque self destruction. The entire picture is told from Hirasawa’s perspective, complete with narration, documenting her initial discoveries of her curious nature, to her eventual surrender to her addictions. She can’t explain why she feels what she feels…it’s just the way she is. It’s a nice technique, that lends the film a much needed authenticity and emotional grounding, which, given the material, could have turned out to be nothing more than a misogynistic exploitation piece.
And, unlike S&M Hunter (or Secretary for that matter), The Slave boasts some striking cinematography, competent direction, an attractive actress, and some exceptionally erotic sequences. One or two of them even rank as the sexiest film sequences I’ve seen in the past few years, while a handful more rank as some of the most disturbing. But as with S&M Hunter, the picture runs a bit long, and its dark material and bleak ending might prove a bit off-putting for a basic introduction to Pinku cinema. That said, it’s a quality film, and worth a look for adventurous filmgoers.
Both DVDs boast strong transfers, despite their dv and reg-v sources, and feature embedded subtitles rather than the usual electronic subtitle track. In terms of extras, the films feature a sizable collection of Pink Eiga trailers, poster and still galleries, filmographies, and production notes by none other than Jasper Sharp, Midnight Eye superstar and author of the authoritative Pink film companion Behind the Pink Curtain! All in all, these are two very strong releases from a very promising up and comer.
The Slave and S&M Hunter can be picked up on the Pink Eiga website or Amazon, while The Bedroom can be seen at the Roxy on February 14th, 2009. Check the SF Indie site for more information.
About the Author
