Review: In the Realm of the Senses (1976)

82/100

There's this asexual joke that somewhere in this world, lurking in the darkness, lies someone who only watches porn for the sake of plot. That the Pornhub intro is a prelude to a cinematic experience on a new kind of Netflix, as they weave through this rich story of a girl who... gets fucked by an orgy of bisexual men. Seeing that there is no substance, they rise up from the Lay-Z-Boy and scream, "What is this?! Cinematic bore!"

Or maybe they did like it. I think that the latter is rare, because who cares about poignancy and good grading when your sole purpose is to "finish it"? Sure, porn is show business, and the people involved have described the sex as tedious, but I think the tediousness comes from the richness in sexuality, not the richness of reality. Porn is, in a way, art, because it suspends our belief, and immerses us in its world, putting us in vicarious participation.

So to see the Criterion Collection including a porn film in its catalogue of "important classic and contemporary films" seems, in a way, quite refreshing, and in an audacious take, they chose Japan's In the Realm of the Senses (original: 愛のコリーダ). A co-production with the sexy country of France, director Nagisa Oshima conceives a quite unconventional tale of a couple who have nonstop sex in the backdrop of imperialism. Eerily, it is based upon the true story of Sada Abe, a woman who murdered his lover after a parade of sexual jealousy. They had been very obsessive, once not getting out of bed for four days, and Abe's clarity worsened upon learning her lover has a wife. It is a mess, and one that has been reenacted several times by curious artists. Including Oshima.

It is important to "spoil" because it's that eventual misery that was depicted in the film's gradual descent to madness. Many have labeled this erotic, but cinephiles have argued otherwise, stating that the political background and context make it impossible for a penis to erect in the theater. According to the Criterion's synopsis, it is "Less of a work of pornography than of politics." The first half of the film changed my whole assumption about it, and it is here where I question whether I had watched the right film. But regardless of its unintentional failure to me, I still quite enjoyed it.

When I watch porn, I would always fly by the "Vintage" section, primarily because I fear that I would focus on the grain and vintage feel more than the porn itself. But here, In the Realm of the Senses successfully bypassed that fear, and with Criterion's restoration, it is truly an immersive experience. In fact, shot on 35 mm, it is one of the most immersive erotic pieces I have ever seen. Oshima uses a color palette of red, brown, and gray to provide a sense of an enclosed world within the radical couple and provide their atmosphere with a touch of emotions. I truly couldn't believe what I had seen in this work. Cinematographer Hideo Ito can acclimate to situations, making us a voyeur of their acts and then later being a silenced observant of the poignancies thrown about.

I say "thrown about", because, in fact, the poignancies are almost unseen of. There are definitely hints of the darkness in the first half of In the Realm of the Senses but they felt more like tiny particles against the vast sandy expanse. The vast sandy expanse in this film is red, sexy, audacious but nevertheless enjoyable. Sada moans in submission to her lover with endearing passion, and the lover gleefully follows her kinky needs. In fact, before the real parts start to be visible, I forgot the whole context and drown in the sex's realm of the senses. The Criterion poster is incredibly accurate because the film felt nothing but BDSM. Erotic asphyxiation, dominance-submission, and voyeurism coalesce in Sada's life. The political background only shines momentarily, like sunlight and a large space of thick clouds. It flew by so fast, that I almost thought I was watching an episodic porn series.

These feelings fly by, of course, as shit hits the fan. And I mean literally, with a scene where the lover puts a literal egg in Sada's vagina, telling her to let it out akin to a chicken laying eggs. The kinkiness becomes a root for questions, and the "I don't feel so good" tone begins creeping into the frame. All of a sudden, that slowburn sex sequence that comprised nearly 70% of the film felt like an abstract to a character study on love, obsession, and mental conditions. Historical accounts have agreed on Abe as a demented woman, most signified through her jovial style of grief, and her everlasting craving for sex. Within the realm of the senses, lie a kind of sadness permanent in the human condition, pathetic and eerie. The film suddenly, successfully, fades its erotic elements, even if the delicate curves of Sada's body lingered in me long after, more than the blood and other crazy shit.

I think that providing Oshima with suggestions on how he could've improved the film would be treacherous. The film is doomed to be a mixed bag in my eyes, and however inconsistent its tonal shift is, it still felt well-done and necessary. I am by no means denying the cultural significance of this film, and it is indeed a shame that it's censored in its own country, a country where such things as hentai are prevalent and exported across the world, a country that does not attempt to hide red-light districts and sex hotels. You might disregard my partial dismay as a teenager's attempt to review an adult film. That I'm too young to observe its depth, that I'm just addicted to porn. Antichrist (2009) is one of my favorite horror films, in lieu of erotic.

Sometimes, the intentions of the directors just don't seem to reach even the biggest of cinephiles, and guess what guys? It is natural, it is fine, and it is acceptable, or at least it should be. In the Realm of the Senses definitely didn't translate to my mind the same way as others did, but I liked it nevertheless, and in the end, all that matters is that something--something-- can be felt. I liked its portrayal of 1930s Imperial Japan, even if it didn't bloom completely in my eyes. I didn't regret watching this film, I love it a lot. But not in the way others do, and I have no obligation to follow you.

In the Realm of the Senses can be seen digitally and physically