Review of In the Realm of the Senses (1976) by Arash X — 27 Sep 2008

An extremely striking look at the lengths to which a couple goes for the sake of pleasure and obsession. This is a movie that probes the depths of passion, its intertwining with violence, the heights of ecstasy it can achieve and the damage it can wreak.

I can see how some might see this as pornography, and even I found myself disconnecting at times from what was on screen, but Oshima's work here is a deeply potent meditation not just on sex but on the shifting nature of power.

Shocking, yes; outrageous, yes; obscene, perhaps - and quite graphic, be warned - but there's substance to this whether you like it or not.