Be My Slave - Im Bann der Begierde

This is the first of the trilogy that also includes "Be My Master" & "Up To You."

The title might give you the impression to expect intense S&M action or a lot of slavery but there is virtually none. It's much more about sex than a Master/slave relationship although that does exist but isn't known until way into the story. There is nudity and sex scenes tho nothing too explicit. Some sex scenes are erotic but not most. Except that Dan Mitsu is completely nude a couple of times with one time only a thin black rectangle to cover the most intimate body part.

Dan Mitsu plays the female lead. Her acting is excellent but she is way too beautiful to be believable in the role for her character. The rest of the cast is good but nothing great.

The story is interesting but the male lead's character doesn't make sense at times. A number of scenes progress ab-so-lut-ely so ssslllooowww! That's the worst aspect of this movie and the reason I'd never watch this film again.

The best thing about this film is a very brief appearance by Aya Sugimoto looking stunning. My heart skipped a beat.

This is one of those movies that could have been excellent. But it's barely watchable.

Whilst there are a few movies dealing with the theme of BDSM and the master/slave relationship, Be My Slave is absolutely the most affecting. Although it's fairly explicit in its depictions, it doesn't ever feel exploitative. The story carries emotion and weight, which sets it apart from low-level softcore movies. Kana is often put in humiliating positions at the mercy of her master(s), and Mitsu Dan, as the actress in question, is quite amazing in her vulnerable portrayal.

A note about the recent "uncut" release: The movie is very much uncut. However, as per Japanese law, there are black bars to cover a few explicit gyno shots (for example, during the shaving scene). This in no way detracts from this excellent movie.