A Snake of June (2002) User Reviews

Slightly surreal erotic thriller

[BrandtSponseller · 8/10 · 3 May 2005]

Rinko Tatsumi (Asuka Kurosawa) works as a telephone counselor at a Tokyo-area suicide hotline. We see her as pleasant but maybe somewhat unsure of herself while doing her job, and we see her at home, where she is oddly distanced from her husband, Shigehiko (Yuji Kohtari). She receives an odd package in the mail in which she discovers voyeuristic, erotic photographs of herself. Another package contains a cell phone. The photographer calls her, and she finds herself embroiled in a relationship with a stalker who threatens to kill her if she alerts anyone.

In a nutshell, this is a Brian De Palma-styled "erotic thriller", with typical Asian horror dream logic sensibilities and spurts of Terry Gilliam-inspired surrealism. As a Japanese genre film, it has a common characteristic that works well in some films but not so well in others: it begins very taut and suspenseful, but makes some odd, oblique, ambiguous turns halfway through, then ends almost by an abandonment. Here the progression is a bit iffy, and is responsible for most of the point subtractions in my rating.

Stylistically, Snake of June is more than impressive. Director Shinya Tsukamoto, the helmer behind such notorious Japanese genre films as Tetsuo (1988) and Bullet Ballet (1998), takes a cue from recent Hollywood genre films and trumps the monochromatic-leaning cinematography by just shooting in black and white and tinting the film blue during processing. June is Japan's rainy season (the title refers partially to the month), and Tsukamoto sets the film amidst almost constant, frequently torrential rain. The combined effect is very ethereal; it's melancholy but sensual at the same time, and establishes the perfect mood for the story.

Tsukamoto made a commendable move in casting three principals who are anything but conventional in terms of age and looks. Kurosawa is older than the typical "sex bomb", and even looks a bit older than she really was while shooting. Tsukamoto has her "frumped up" a bit, making her a bit dowdy. Kohtari looks almost old enough to be her father (aided by his balding crown), and Tsukamoto himself plays the middle-aged stalker (again looking even older than his actual age). The casting choices were intelligent, as it sets the film in a more believable realm, with more "everyday" people.

Of course, Kurosawa's Rinko is still quite sexy, and becomes more so as the film progresses, partially because of her behavior and partially because of a subtle physical transformation she undergoes. Tsukamoto's stalker, Iguchi (one of the possible "snakes" of the title), is quite twisted in many of the physical acts he demands of Rinko (and much more depraved in the later manipulations of Shigehiko, which approach torture), but they amount to her blossoming in her sexuality, despite the initial relationship between Rinko and Iguchi which is almost forcefully coercive.

The basic idea of the film is fairly straightforward, although Tsukamoto throws in more surreal tangents probably intended to throw viewers off somewhat (some scenes, such as the bizarre one involving a "metal penis" (another snake allusion) with which Iguchi punishes Shigehiko, are purposefully ambiguous--Tsukamoto says on the DVD extras that even he is not sure what it means). The gist is that Iguchi, who was saved from killing himself by Rinko, has realized that life must be lived to its fullest in each moment--emotionally and physically/experientially. He thanks Rinko for producing a kind of awakening to this idea, and wants to return the favor, especially since he's noticed her emotionally vacuous marriage and her unfulfilled carnal desires. Each character develops as the film progresses, coming to a further realization of the central idea, even embracing the experience of pain and impending doom (which is probably why Rinko is shown not getting the medical attention she needs).

What makes the film so controversial, aside from its somewhat twisted sex scenes (which are primarily masturbatory), is that the positive character developments are through Sadean, non-consensual, felonious actions including or bordering on rape, murder, blackmail, false imprisonment, and so on. This isn't a film for the weak of heart, or for anyone who dislikes gray morality.

Although necessary for character development, the about-face that occurs in the middle of the film when Iguchi begins to focus on Shigehiko instead of Rinko also marks a point where all of the lovely thriller tension that Tsukamoto built up in the first half is abandoned. Rinko has taken Iguchi's suggested direction willingly--we see her become increasingly more daring as she enjoys her newfound free spirit, Shigehiko quickly seems to be a willing submissive, and Iguchi begins to seem a bit more pathetic than menacing. After what has come before, the final scene is a bit of an anti-climax, at least on a "visceral" level. It's not that the second half isn't entertaining, but the tone is very different--to an extent that it almost feels like a different film at times.

Still, A Snake of June is successful overall. As with many Asian genre films, it requires that you watch not expecting a neatly wrapped up, linear plot that could function as a logical argument. Viewed in the right frame of mind, you should find much to enjoy.

Masterly cinema but subject matter and style that will repel many

[Chris_Docker · 8/10 · 16 June 2003]

For serious film acolytes only, or others who like to have their brains twisted into a heap. Don't be tempted by the flagrant advertising of kinky erotica and gratuitous violence unless you are prepared to endure a plot that would have Kubrick and Lynch scrabbling for a storyline that makes sense, images that make your nerves cringe like knifeblades squealing on glass, and an evocation of politically incorrect emotions that would allow a psychiatrist to put you in the same wing as Jack the Ripper.

From the man who brought you Tetsuo <cue references that put your cult film fan status under the blue light detector>, which was the story about a man who becomes part-metal and unleashes his transformation in a grotesque, unambiguously sexually symbolic, and very violent way, comes this latest release by someone many will hate to admit is a director of very considerable talent. Making you wonder what is acceptable in art for art's sake, Director Shinya Tsukamoto has no shortage of material to help you push the limits, and he takes lead roles in his own films as well as those of others. Recently he starred in Ichi the Killer, a film that divided critics with it's apparently 'pointless' violence - but the artistry was in making the film as an exact copy of a 'manga' cartoon, right down to the extensively faithful bloodletting and chopped up body parts. OK, you get the picture of the sort of weird world Tsukamoto works with . ..

So what about Snake of June? Firstly the 'story' (I won't tell you enough to spoil it, but skip this para if you like to be shocked without much prior warning haha). Rinko, a woman who works as a bored and frustrated telephone cousellor - a sort of Samaritans line - is blackmailed by a former caller. She 'helped him into wanting to live' and now he is going to 'help' her to release her inhibitions and become 'the person she really is'. The blackmailer has pictures of her masturbating and in exchange for the negatives forces her to do various acts, like wearing a mini-skirt in public with no knickers, and on to various things with vibrators and buying vegetables. Her balding husband, with whom our initial sympathies lie, shows a sexist selfishness when Rinko needs an operation. Meanwhile the blackmailer, as all blackmailers do, takes things further but not perhaps in the way you might expect.

On the plus side, Snake in June, like Tetsuo, carries some of the most powerfully shot images of modern cinema. In classic blue-tinted monochrome, each frame is composed with the skill of an auteur. The haunting sets of rain-sodden alleyways, first rate acting, ingenious story chapters, and perhaps the challenging way in which our sympathies are reversed, all raise it above the level of fantasy porn. On the downside, many will find the style and storyline inaccessible or unbearable (although most males and some females may find the shockingly convincing erotic scenes worth the ordeal). You'll never forget the rain. You'll never forget the face of Rinko in orgasm. But will it be a memory you'll linger over?

I'm giving this film 8/10 because for serious film goers it perhaps offers a thought provoking example in an unusual genre, and expertly made. But it also contains much that some people will wish they had never seen, and much that will cause some people to walk out rather than endure the whole 77 minutes.

Typically bizarre Tsukamoto

[niz · 7/10 · 20 March 2003]

If TETSUO was about hating your body, SNAKE OF JUNE is about embracing it. Fans of the former will know what to expect in terms of style: black-and-white, wild photography, bizarre imagery etc. What they won't expect is the relatively accessible and easy-to-follow storyline in the first half, as a woman discovers her own desires through the promptings of a blackmailer. About half-way through the focus is switched to her husband, and here we revert to total obscurity, in the TETSUO and TETSUO 2 mould. Tsukamoto buffs will find it all very interesting, others will be left baffled.

Interesting avant-garde from Japan

[lee_musson · 7/10 · 12 July 2006]

This film is about sexual inhibitions, fantasies and social restrictions. The reviewer who said this film is stupid and has no story obviously doesn't grasp the fact that this is an avant-garde film. The imagery, themes and sound are what make the film, not the narrative. It works on a different level and is better appreciated by people who are interested in film as an art form rather than merely popcorn entertainment. The imagery is dark and provocative and enhanced by the blue and white monochrome. The director employs his trademark hand-held camera and big close ups. Although the themes are sexual in nature the film never feels like exploitation. The film isn't perfect by any means but is an interesting example of avant garde film-making by a significant Japanese director. Watch it with an open mind.

Kaleidoskopic view

[chaos-rampant · 15 March 2011]

This reminds me of my discovery with Tetsuo, ten years ago, of a cinema out there. Tetsuo for me at the time was like listening for the first time to bands like Throbbing Gristle or SPK. The term 'industrial' wasn't just a commercial label, it communicated something fundamental of the fabric it was made of, not of style but of the sound itself (in Tetsuo's case, the image). It was enough to simply experience it, interpretations seemed superfluous.

Snake of June is a similar experience for the body, in the sense that the ideas explored pale in comparison to the exploration itself. Whatever it's a portrait of, of sexual or personal liberation from the self, it's the portrait that matters to me.

The grimy aesthetic pulsing with grain and noise, the fluid camera exploring dark recesses of an urban dystopia of constant downpour, the sudden bursts of fetishized sex, all these orient and provide contrast and context to what is explored. It's not enough to see these personal demons overcomed by the female protagonist, the boundaries of mundane existence broken apart, it counts to experience how they reflect.

A view of the mind is permitted here through a camera obscura, dancing on the walls of the mind we see demented projections. The emerging view is not clear, but like the best of surreal cinema, kaleidoskopic. We may piece something together of the image we see, but that's hardly the point for me. I point a kaleidoskope to something to experience the phantasmagoria of the fracture, Snake of June works likewise. The portrait we get is not a lifelike depiction, but an expressionist one.

This may be linked to horror cinema due to Tsukamoto's credentials, but it's really New Wave in the best tradition of directors like Susumu Hani and Toshio Matsumoto.

Confusing yet compelling weirdness from director Shinya Tsukamoto.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 15 December 2010]

Rinko (sexy Asuka Kurosawa) works as a telephone counsellor at a mental health centre, giving life-affirming advice to the depressed and suicidal; ironically, her own life could do with a bit of a shake up, a matter addressed when a stranger blackmails her into living out her private fantasies in public (which include walking through the streets in a mini-skirt sans underwear, purchasing a vibrator from a sex shop, and stripping completely naked in an alleyway during a torrential downpour).

For a while, I reckoned I'd got the gist of A Snake of June, believing that director Shinya Tsukamoto was telling his audience that life is for the living, and that people shouldn't allow their inhibitions to stop them from doing what they enjoy; however, once Rinko's husband had been drugged, abducted and, along with a roomful of other men in a similar predicament, forced to watch through the funnel strapped to his face as a pair of women are first screwed and then drowned, I began to doubt my original assessment. From that point on I abandoned trying to figure out the director's intent (to avoid brain-ache) and settled for enjoying the rest of the film on a purely superficial level—for the pervy erotic content and the stylish monochromatic cinematography, both of which there are plenty.

Although it wasn't nearly as exploitative as it could have been given the subject matter, and despite not actually understanding much (or all) of it, I found A Snake of June to be a surprisingly compelling piece of experimental cinema, intriguing in the first half, downright bizarre for the remainder, and nearly always visually interesting. It certainly isn't a film I would recommend to casual viewers of Asian cinema, but if you have a real love of surreal art-house flicks—the kind of whacked-out weirdness that throws in such seemingly random oddities as a prehensile metal penis and gratuitous snail imagery—then this should be right up your rain-soaked alley.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for the alleyway scene—wowzer!

more of this kind of thing !

[pixelperfect · 10/10 · 15 January 2005]

Another absolute stormer from the man who melted my brain with the excellence of Tetsuo as a teenager to such an extent that I had to pull it out and iron it and put it back in again. Then I went and saw Hiruko The Goblin. Ow....then Shinya popped up acting in Ichi The Killer a couple of years ago and I was reminded once more what a sick, deep and utterly vital gentleman he is. This is his take on the erotic thriller, and is fairly restrained by his standards and all the better for it. OK he does strangle a man with a metal penis at one stage, but one would feel let down without at least a touch of the old body horror. Actually this film has plenty of that, but it's more acutely concerned with a (sadly) more everyday disease that the fetishishic, grim techno porn of his earlier work. interesting performances, utterly compulsive storyline and busy, atmospheric camera-work would recommend this film to anyone fond of the director, and to a wider audience too one hopes.

A Nutshell Review: A Snake of June

[DICK STEEL · 6/10 · 5 September 2009]

Written, directed and starring Shinya Tsukamoto, A Snake in June is a strange, twisted tale of voyeurism that somehow did things correctly enough to warrant an improvement to the quality of the victims' life! You read me right there, because the turmoil experienced somehow brought about some positive change, but not before an exercise in exploitation gets its proper dues paid on screen.

We're introduced to a soap operatic perfect couple, or so it seems, where they nary quarrel and go about doing their respective chores when at home, with the husband seemingly a cleanliness freak, because early in the story we always see him hovered over something to scrub. Everyone's wearing a smile, but there's something quite plasticky about the way they interact, almost devoid of genuine, sincere emotion, and definitely lacking in passion.

The wife, Rinko (Asuka Kurosawa) is a short haired sassy-looking lass who works as a counsellor manning a help hotline. Talking someone out of suicide, she preaches about living life to the maximum, which somehow stinks of hypocrisy because of her acceptance of mediocrity in her own married life, which we learn she's yearning for something physical, and had to resort to pleasuring herself. And as if to teach her a lesson to walk the talk, she receives an anonymous package containing a cellphone, and photographs of her in various states of undress and compromising positions.

Blackmailed, the caller's purpose became something of her awakening to the truth, as Shinya Tsukamoto puts his character through micro-mini skirts, stank toilets as well as being soaked through plenty of rain, all in all to play up the missing component of Rinko's life, where she needed probing (pardon the pun) to fully explore and understand what she was missing in having to play out her wildest fantasy for someone unknown who's watching her from some hidden angle.

And when you thought that everything's fine and dandy when Rinko does to the T what she was blackmailed to do, the narrative shifted from her to her husband, and then on to a combination of the couple with the perpetrator who now seemed more like a benefactor in opening up closed doors and opportunities to their personal desires.

It's a strange tale indeed lensed throughout under blue monochrome, that balanced some exploitative moments with a story set to titillate and with the realization of the missing component to the jigsaw of domestic affairs.

Not many films get so incomprehensible yet hold your attention

[gray4 · 8/10 · 27 March 2004]

When I learned the A Snake of June was made by the director of Tetsuo, I almost turned it off. I'm glad I didn't because Snake is a lot more interesting and somewhat more comprehensible - but that is only relative. The story starts off reasonably straightforwardly, following phone-counsellor Rinko at work and at home with her unresponsive husband Shigehiko. For the first half it is an exciting erotic thriller, complete with blackmailer.

The introduction of cancer - a transformation of the flesh echoing the techno transformations of Tetsuo - leads into new territory. The focus shifts from Rinko to Shigehiko after one of the most erotic scenes in mainstream cinema. And then it lost me. There are some sado-masochistic similarities to Cronenberg's 'Crash' with its three-way interactions. The scenes between husband and blackmailer are increasingly surrealistic. They may be dreams or fantasies: if not some scenes are comically preposterous. But however incomprehensible the film becomes it is made so well that attention never flags. The urban setting in rainy season Japan is filmed in a blue-tinged monochrome, and the constant rain is used with great effect as a significant 'player' in the film. In hindsight, well worth watching, even though I suspect that the sub-titles do not do justice to the film's complexities.

An interesting exploitation about cancer

[johnnybegood-03546 · 6/10 · 24 May 2016]

A snake of June is a mix of psycho thriller, exploitation, and sickness drama.

The beautiful actress Asuka Kurosawa plays the role of Rinko, a shy business woman who help people with their problem by talking to them on the phone, most of them are sick patients with suicide thoughts. Although she is very kind and her phone patients loves her, she has a boring life with her workaholic husband. One day she get a phone call from one of her patients that turns out to be a stalker, he has taken photos of her through her window where she pleasure herself, if she doesn't want her husband to find out about the photos, she must do everything the stalker tells her to do. But the question is, that something in his sick fantasy or is it all what she really want to do all her life?

Exploitation movies are almost impossible to follow if one is not in a good mood for exploitation, but "A Snake Of June" do it very interesting, and I love the blue color use in the movie, makes the location look metropolis, and Asuka Kurosawa is amazing, I don't think she is related Akira Kurosawa but she is talented actress as she is beautiful.

What is this Movie About?

[yespat · 4/10 · 29 July 2006]

It started out with an interesting and engaging premise. That did not last long.

What started out as a thriller type film with a sympathetic lead character transformed into, giving it the benefit of doubt, some crazy thing that made no sense whatsoever. In the final act, there was no way to determine what was really going on with any character. For example, is he really sitting down with his wife having a lovely dinner or is he outside in the rain with some maniac who is beating him to death? Something as basic as that.

I admit I'm not a huge Lynch fan as I do enjoy it when a movie can make discernible sense. I work too hard in the real world to have to spend my leisure time trying to figure out someone's mental disturbances which are given life through their films.

All the actors seemed fine and the look of the film was interesting but that's just not enough for me to encourage others to see it.

Life Is to Be Lived in Its Plenitude

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 19 October 2009]

In Tokyo, Rinko Tatsumi (Asuka Kurosawa) is a married woman that works in the County Mental Help Center helping needy people. Her husband Shigehiko (Yuji Koutari) is an old man obsessed with cleaning and they have a quite inexistent sexual life, sleeping in separate bed. Out of the blue, Rinko receives an envelope with erotic pictures she took once in the past while modeling and a cellular. She receives a phone call and the man blackmails her, promising to give the negatives to her if she follows his instructions. She is forced to wear miniskirt without panties; to buy a vibrator and use it, walking and exposing to costumers of a department store. The man delivers her photos and tells that he is Iguchi (Shinya Tsukamoto), who is dying of stomach cancer that was saved by her advice; in return he asks her to go to her doctor. Rinko realizes that she has breast cancer and needs to remove one breast. When she tells Shigehiko, he gives a cold reception to the idea. Then the blackmailer contacts Shigehiko, forcing him to follow his instructions.

"Rokugatsu no Hebi", a.k.a. "A Snake of June", is a surrealistic erotic movie that follows the style of David Lynch, with bizarre sequences and characters. This is the first work of the director Shinya Tsukamoto that I have watched and this is the type of "love or hate" cult-movie. The stylish cinematography uses blue filter in the rainy season of Tokyo, giving the mood of sadness and nightmarish atmosphere to the weird story. Asuka Kurosawa is absolutely sexy breathing eroticism in the sequences that she follows the instructions of the blackmailer. There are many metaphoric scenes without explanation, but I believe that the major idea of the story is that life is to be lived in its plenitude since we may die on the next minute of our existence. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

style over substance

[LunarPoise · 4/10 · 21 March 2008]

Tsukamoto is an incredible DP. He creates stunning visuals and his use of light and choice of film stock is borderline genius.

He is an OK actor. But he can't write. And he is a useless director. Unfortunately, this film reveals the misogynistic tendencies that are all-too-prevalent in contemporary Japanese cinema. Secretly, chicks get off on being stalked and blackmailed, right?

Characterisation? Fuggetabourrit. Why would THIS women ever be married to THIS man? In a Holloywood film, the backstory would tell you why; in a Japanese trendy drama, the casting would tell you why; in a Tsukamoto film, such audience concerns are mere whimsy - who cares? It looks good, right?

I would love to see Tsukamoto shoot something helmed by a more astute director looking at tying story to character. Until then, Tsukamoto seems destined to slip towards music video and commercials, where stunning visuals at the expense of heart, character and insight into the human condition are an acceptable motif.

When all the smoke and mirrors clears, does this director have anything of interest to say?

A Snake of June

[Scarecrow-88 · 9/10 · 24 November 2007]

Rinko(the ravishing Asuka Kurosawa)is the type of person who lends a helping hand towards others living as they're contemplating death, while she doesn't quite live herself. She works at a mental health telephone service, and we even see an example of how she assisted in stopping the suicide of a young boy. In an odd sense of fate/irony, a poor troubled soul(a mysterious photographer named Iguchi, portrayed by Shinya Tsukamoto, the director of the film)begins stalking her, photographing her little secrets that might seem embarrassing to such a proper, well-mannered professional. She's caught in a love-less, sexually-devoid marriage and often pleases herself..she believes she's doing it without others watching and she's wrong. This man begins photographing her doing things away from the civilized world that she wouldn't do in front of others, particularly her husband, co-workers, or people in general but, the photographer(..who begins calling her)captures how she really feels, on photo what she desires to do or wishes she could. Iguchi has Rinko commit acts in public she normally wouldn't do if she wishes to secure the negatives of rather defaming photos she would not like to see before other people's eyes. Meanwhile, Rinko's husband Shigehiko(Yuji Kohtari)is crippled by burdensome annoyances such as filth and smell. You always see him cleaning drains..he's indeed repelled by the slightest spot and wishes to clean everything himself without the assistance of his wife, all too willing to do it for him. Their marriage is so distant they do not communicate all that well, especially in the bedroom. They certainly signify the phrase:going through the motions. Then this distraught man enters their lives, an intruder and voyeur suffering from agonizing stomach cancer, who changes them forever.

The film actually has three "acts" focusing on each lead character. The first one is obviously most important for Rinko's life is what motivates the actions that occur throughout the film. We see who she is at the opening of the film, and who she will become thanks to Iguchi and an unfortunate medical diagnosis that alters her life. Shigehiko's story is more surreal and where director Tsukamoto takes the viewer into some strange situations. I felt that perhaps the weird occurrences that happen to Shigehiko(specifically the metallic snake that emerges from Iguchi's lap coat to wrap around Shigehiko's neck to strangle him)are illusions created within the disturbed, diseased mind of a dying Iguchi who longs for Rinko and sees who has her, enraging him. Where Shigehiko is slipped a drug thanks to Iguchi that renders him unconscious as he awakens in some room with other men watching odd pictures, regarding bizarre sexual practices, through a form of head gear with a slight circular peephole is certainly one of the film's more unusual sequences. I think, though, that despite the rather ambiguous, surreal sequences involving Shigehiko and Iguchi, the film still is about emotionally adrift people, wounded deeply, needing someone to shake them a bit so that they can see that life is merely a vapour which should be embraced wholeheartedly despite the setbacks one faces, whether they be psychological or physical. Shot in a blue tint, with camera-work that is raw and voyeuristic(non-fans of shaky-cam might find it a bit jarring). The story and characters are blanketed by rain, with Tsukamota often showing the life of water as it travels down gutters into drainages. Tsukamoto relies heavily on shots through various circular holes..windows, sink drains, sewers, etc.

Don't answer the phone!

[GyatsoLa · 8/10 · 7 June 2007]

I don't feel quite qualified to comment on this (not that this has stopped me before) as its my first Shinya Tsukamoto movie to see - but I can see immediately why so many people are fascinated by his movies. This doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense, and like so many movies of the 'I'm far too talented to be literal' genre of film-making, there are parts that just leave you scratching your head (or my head, as the case may be). But what is undeniable is that this movie is packed with riveting sequences and shows immense talent. This is one of those rare moves that demands a second viewing to delve beneath the layers. It starts out as a slightly creepy thriller and then goes on a variety of tangents, some of which seem logical, most do not. It seems to be about the need not to suppress our deeper needs (a pretty common theme in Japanese film making), but its 'subject' is much less important than the style - and what style there is here. The blue tinted B&W photography is stunning, with fantastic editing and very dedicated acting. Well worth catching, but not when your granny is around.....

Snake of June

[Michael_Elliott · 2 March 2008]

Snake of June, A (2002)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A rather bizarre Japanese film from director Shinya Tsukamoto. A woman is photographed masturbating by a deranged stalker and soon he makes her go on a sexual voyage that includes humiliating herself. The stalker does this so that the woman will do what she wants instead of being "held down" by her boring husband. This is the first film I've seen from this director and while I loved his technique I can't really say I enjoyed the story being told. The first forty minutes are so are full of some nice, tense moments but when the side story with the husband came into play I really lost all interest in the story. The blue-tinted color of the film was very nice and the director does get some good performance but he simply lost me half way through.

I cannot think of one so just read the review

[luke_bale · 5/10 · 7 January 2005]

I liked Tetsuo in some aspects for example effects for the budget and the way the film was shot amongst other things but it had no real plot and wasn't really an enjoyable watch.

Snake of June was great to watch as I was happy to see the director of Tetsuo make a film which followed a story line. I was impressed with the way that he revolved the whole film around 3 characters and although there are other actors they tend to appear in the background or as part of the set rather than meaning anything in particular in the story.

There seems to be a message in there I can only find one maybe I'm not sophisticated enough to read between the lines with these sorts of films but as I said I was once again impressed with the way it was filmed the story was to me very original the only problem I had with the film was towards the ending.

The entire film played out some normality each scene followed on making perfect sense no problem then right at the end there are several scenes with two of the main characters and a couple with some police officers which just do not correlate with each other leaving me very confused also some major bruising disappears between scenes as well. I know the film was good but a lot does rest on the ending and confusing the hell out of the audience didn't help with my vote. The other thought I had about this film and Tetsuo was what is the point they don't give any particular strong messages they are certainly not enjoyable to watch not films I would probably bother to watch again. Although Miikes films can be very odd at least they are enjoyable there is humour I can watch his films over and over. And so I end this review much like the end of the film very confused...

Promenade

[frankgaipa · 9/10 · 22 March 2005]

Decided to let this age several weeks before commenting, to see what had etched itself most firmly in memory. Now I'm dismayed to discover its Rinko's vibrator promenade. Not from prurient interest, I hope. Rather, that sequence more effectively than any other, with its documentary-like shots of shopkeepers, shoppers, and passersby, situates Rinko, her violator, and her husband and all this film's public and private happenings in the real world, in our world. I think Hitchcock, though he'd never have dared, would have understood what Tsukamoto's up to in the vibrator sequence. Consider Scottie in Vertigo hiding both his vertigo and his obsession. Consider Hitchcock's use of grand public places for his climaxes. Bresson's The Pickpocket may also fit here. With even more perspective of memory, I think I detect a similar undertone of embarrassment before society in both Tetsuo films, each time the transformed Tetsuo hits the street. There's something like it too, in the transformation scenes in Cronenberg's The Fly or Shainberg's Secretary. But I don't mean the negativism these last two comparisons might imply.

Anyway, for a startlingly normal take on director Tsukamoto as actor, see him as a professional chess player's harried salaryman husband in the 2002 A Woman's Work (aka Travail).

Dull, pretentious and weird just for weirdness sake

[grantss · 2/10 · 4 October 2019]

A woman is being stalked by a stranger. His stalking turns to blackmail when he sends her copies of photos of her in an embarrassing position. Now he controls her and she has to do anything he says. Anything.

Had some potential but from the start this movie is more about style than substance. Imagery and arty shots just for the sake of it, plot twists that are more about an excuse to have a weird scene in there, a plot seems random at best.

Ultimately quite dull and pretentious.

For me, one of the few true genuine masterworks of the decade so far.

[ThreeSadTigers · 29 December 2007]

A Snake of June (2002) is the thematic culmination of over a decade's worth of cinematic experimentation for Japanese auteur and erstwhile infant terrible Shinya Tsukamoto; with the film's themes of fear, repression and the limitations and fragility of the human body recalling the surrealist body-mutilation of Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1988) - and his metaphoric metamorphosis into a drill-bit wielding cyber-punk - through to the modern day horror of Tokyo Fist (1995) - with its punishing images of primal carnage - and of course, Bullet Ballet (1998) - with its wasteland of urban decay and the bleak thematic examination of suicide.

With this in mind, viewing Tsukamoto's work from the visceral and vivid 'Tetsuo' through to the film in question is often like studying the basics of the auteur theory in seven easy steps; with the director progressing from the low-budget horror of The Iron Man (1988), through to it's bigger-budgeted sequel/remake Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1991) and then onto the aforementioned double-punch of Tokyo Fist (1995) and Bullet Ballet (1998). That's not to mention his lush period-mystery Gemini (1999) and his more recent examination of death and decay with the subtle and mature Vital (2004). Each of these films presents its own treatise on a clearly defined theme, which, when viewed within the larger context of Tsukamoto's world presents us with a true, single-minded and intensely unique body of work. This is represented, not only by the repeated use of death, decay, metamorphosis and the human body as a central motif, but also by the presence of Tsukamoto as writer, director, cinematographer, editor, production designer and, in many cases, lead actor; but also with the vital role in which Tokyo itself plays in shaping his highly expressive narratives.

In the Tetsuo films, Tokyo presented itself as a labyrinthine maze of metal, concrete and steel that only succeeded in dehumanising its citizens into soulless, destructive monsters; in Tokyo Fist, the skyline of the city dwarfs its central character, intensifying his sense of weakness and lack of power, and eventually leading to his attempt to reclaim himself from this backdrop of mocking malaise and social conformity; while in Bullet Ballet, the world is dark, empty, devoid of colour and numbed to any real sense of feeling and purpose. Once again, A Snake of June feels like a culmination of this idea; depicting a Tokyo that is cold, claustrophobic, awash with a constant rain and a general lack of warm colour; with the images here presented in a blue-tinted monochrome that stresses the empty sterility of the central relationship and the world in which they inhabit.

Like The Iron Man, Body Hammer, Tokyo Fist and Gemini, the film uses the relationship between three characters (and their feelings of jealously, lust and paranoia) as its starting point; introducing us to Rinko (Asuka Kurosawa) and her husband Shigehiko (Yuji Koutari), who live a contented, if entirely soulless existence lost amongst the high-rise apartments of metropolitan Tokyo. All of this is turned upside down however by the appearance of Iguchi (Tsukamoto), a terminally ill photographer of lurid pornography who meets Rinko via her position as a Samaritans-like phone councillor, and, realising that she has helped him put the final stages of his life in order, decides that he wants to do the same for her. What follows is series of sensational mind-games, as Iguchi blackmails the prim Rinko with illicit, secret photos he's taken of her masturbating in her apartment in order to get her to act out the sordid, self-pleasuring acts she furtively craves. For example, in one of the film's central set-pieces, Iguchi, using a cell phone, instructs Rinko to buy a scandalously short-skirt, to wear it in a crowded shopping mall without underwear, to buy a vibrator, to insert it and then, finally, to buy a series of embarrassingly phallic objects from a local fruit vendor while he controls the vibrator via remote control.

The second half of the film is more fragmented and surreal; moving into the expressive, metaphorical, highly visual realm of Tetsuo and Tokyo Fist; as Shigehiko's repressed businessman is literally terrorised by his own deeply-hidden desires, while Iguchi's physical pain and torment are manifested in blood-soaked violence and an extendable, metallic phallus that emerges from a hole in his stomach. I wouldn't want to give too much away, but these scenes definitely need to be experienced, not only as they represent for me what true film-making really is, but also because they present the central emotional construct of these characters better than any dialog or exposition ever could! The film has a few more twists and turns that I won't go into here, though, sufficed to say, the overall message of the film is ultimately a simple one, though it's told in a highly expressive and enigmatic manner that is more than suited to Tsukamoto's wild and distinctive cinematic imagination.

The performances from all three of the lead actors are outstanding and much deeper and more emotionally honest than you might-expect from a low-budget Japanese art film; though, it has to be said, it's really Tsukamoto, both as a filmmaker and with his complex performance as Iguchi and Asuka Kurosawa's fearless performance as Rinko that truly dominate. A Snake of June is, for me, what cinema should be; complex, visually stunning, intelligent, enigmatic, emotionally charged and above all else, challenging. It obviously won't be to all tastes, but certainly those with a fondness for challenging independent cinema and an open mind will find much to appreciate; whilst those who are already familiar with Tsukamoto's previous work, such as Bullet Ballet or his earlier masterpiece Tokyo Fist, should easily find much to enjoy within the rain-soaked claustrophobia of A Snake of June's very bizarre love triangle.

Not like Lynch

[vegansXe · 9/10 · 13 October 2006]

It seems like every other review of this movie has mentioned David Lynch, but I have to disagree with that comparison. A Snake of June makes sense, and it has a plot that is followable. There are only two scenes that are truly bizarre, and they aren't meant to be taken as actual occurrences, as a David Lynch film would do. Rather, these scenes are (without ruining anything) odd delusions by one of the main characters meant to represent his mind set, etc. It sounds pretentious, but it works fairly well, and in the end, there is a definite chain of events, completely discernible from the occasional off putting weirdness. Is the movie highly symbolic? Yes, but unlike some movies that wallow in symbolism, this one has a real storyline, and doesn't get so bogged down in trying to seem "deep and arty" that it forgets to be a movie. Rather, the artiness is present to further explain what's going on for the characters. In short, I recommend the movie, and it's not like David Lynch (who I hate). Good acting, beautifully shot, and perhaps best of all, an interesting plot.

a mighty cinematic achievement

[christopher-underwood · 8/10 · 12 January 2007]

Only after I had watched this fascinating and powerful film did I realise this was the 'Tetsuo' man. I have yet to see any of the more well known ones but will certainly now pluck up the courage to investigate. Generally considered to be atypical of his work his cinematic eye and confidence are nevertheless all too apparent. Sometimes a little confusing but always compelling. Difficult to describe in a few words and whilst I can understand it being referred to as the director's only venture into erotic cinema, that is in itself rather misleading. It is true that the, tremendously well played, leading lady's sexuality is central to the film's theme but Tsukamoto takes us well beyond this. In fact half way through the film lurches to give us a totally different angle on the main protagonist's lives and we temporarily struggle, as do they, to catch up with events. Shot in a magical, bluish black and white this is a mighty cinematic achievement that must be seen again - soon!

Stupid Japanese B&W Fetish movie - turn off the sound.

[dilbertsuperman · 3/10 · 10 December 2005]

This movie has some very interesting imagery. And that's where it ends. The plot is one only a schoolboy that huffs gasoline and snorts glue would be able to imagine- twisted yet very very dumb and retarded with the story's development.

After a while we are just sitting there watching pointless scenes which are very similar to the development of "phone booth"- a character being continually tortured by the demands of an invisible sadist.

If you are pathetic enough to have a fetish for watching slim Japanese women being tortured then this is your movie. There is a prevalent attitude in a lot of Japanese cinema of making scenes that show people being tortured but secretly loving it and having the experience make them get off sexually. The message here is that deep down inside, this chick wanted this treatment and she enjoyed it so she deserved it. That's just cro-magnon sex-offender thinking, and as such this movie is especially stupid because it really wallows in degrading the woman in a sexual manner. The man writing this crap is sexually insecure for very good reasons apparently. This movie is the fetish of all rapists- she is being tortured but in reality she loves it because it gives her a break from her boring marriage. Creepy. Turn the sound off when you watch this and it will just be interesting imagery and no creepy conversations between sadist and victim.

The Japanese David Lynch

[lastliberal · 8/10 · 3 November 2007]

The fact that your film is a winner at Venice is evidence enough of your artistry. Shinya Tsukamoto (Ichi the Killer) wrote, directed and starred in this weird film that certainly establishes him as and eccentric and extreme cinema pioneer.

Saved by Rinko (Asuka Kurosawa), Iguchi (Tsukamoto) seeks to return the favor and help her escape her boring, sexless life as a wife of a successful Japanese businessman (Yuji Kohtari), who is all work and no play. He blackmails her into walking around the streets in a very short mini with no underwear, ala Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. He also has her buy a vibrator and some long veggies to use in masturbatory experiences.

But it is not all kinky sex, as there is some torture that would make the movie inappropriate for CIA personnel. They don't need any new ideas to replace water-boarding.

All of this is done in a sometimes surreal manner with a blue and white color scheme and constant rainfall that makes for an interesting mood.

Tsukamoto has never disappointed me, but you certainly have to look at his films with a different eye.

Number two!

[jthaule · 10/10 · 20 July 2016]

I love Tsukamoto Shinya's films, and this one is second only to the original Tetsuo, in my opinion.

While still deeply rooted within the body horror and visceral approach of Tetsuo, Tetsuo II and Tokyo Fist this one delivers a more toned down experience with much more of a psychological focus.

The distance between the main characters, her disease, exhibitionism and strange relationship with Tsukamoto's voyeuristic character - along with the husband's obsession with cleaning paints a bleak picture of alienation and fragmentation, as well as touching on cultural taboos via gender reversal.

Also, quite probably this is Tsukamoto's most overtly sexual film, and that says quite a bit.