Review of In the Realm of the Senses (1976) by Seth R — 17 Jun 2009

Definitely not a "pleasant" movie- matter of fact if the ending *doesn't* make you cringe there's something wrong with you- but it's not exactly pornography. This doesn't mean it's the most artistically satisfying Japanese romance movie either.

But the filmmaker takes his characters seriously, and the explicit sex (and boy-howdy is it explicit enough to make Bertolucci blush) is like another character as opposed to the only thing. That doesn't mean I'm anxious to buy it or watch it right away again, but I was glad I watched it all the way through, with the occassional slack-jaw reactions.