Review of Guilty of Romance (2011) by Visitorq S — 25 Sep 2011

Easily the weakest of Sono's "Trilogy of Hate" (which includes the excellent Love Exposure and the dark and brutal Cold Fish), Guilty Of Romance is at it's best an often hilarious deconstruction of Japanese traditionalist culture and chauvinism and at worst, a meandering, confusingly edited, existentialist adaptation of many idea's central to Kafka's The Castle.

Unfortunately, this heavily cut theatrical edition has clearly removed most of the footage revolving around the initial murder mystery (an idea that is seemingly dropped after ten minutes) and instead focuses on Mizuno's journey from submissive housewife to philandering whore.

Incredibly witty at times, and interestingly shot, this film really deteriorates in the last thirty minutes, Sono's technique almost unbearably repetitive, confusing and pretentious. Sono drives those points home with all the subtlety of a sledge hammer, and then proceeds to bludgeon your dying enthusiasm over and over, long after the idea has been processed.