Having studied Art for a good deal of time I can tell you that it is supposed to be a meaningful and/or personal expression on the part of the artist, it's supposed to say something to people that they will react to. Well I reacted to Ai no Corrida, but that's where the definition of art ends. Ai no Corrida (In the Realm of the Senses) goes so far with its sexual explicitness that there is no meaning, all the Director Nagisa Oshima wants to do is shock, and he has succeeded. Now I'm not a prude, I've enjoyed films like The Idiots, The Fourth Man and (one of my personal favourites) Breaking the Waves immensely, and each of them contained strong graphic sex scenes, but they never seemed too explicit, they seemed like the natural reaction those characters should have. With this film however, it just seemed pornographic. I agree with others though, this is a very well acted film, and should be watched if you're serious about movies, but if you want a beautiful story of undying love then watch Breaking the Waves, and avoid this high brow slice of Porn.
Review of In the Realm of the Senses
