Tabou (Gohatto)

Some people have a sexual magnetism so intense that it's scary

for everyone--gay, straight and disinterested--to be around them.

It's because any mature person can sense that a huge and

destructive power has been placed in the hands of someone not

responsible enough to wield it--and that can be pretty much

anyone so cursed/blessed. You feel as if a small, mercurial child

has his fingers on a hydrogen bomb. These are the most attractive

and the most frightening people in the world.

Nagisa Oshima's TABOO is a spellbinding quasi-thriller in which

every scene squirms with a sexual tension that's almost

unbearable. As in MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE, the tension between Japanese militarist face-saving and an

underlying homoeroticism sizzles to the boiling point.

Oshima has an understated gift for intensifying everything. The

simplest closeups have a charged, my-horniness-is-giving-me-a-migraine sizzle. TABOO resembles

the sixties British Z-movie STATION SIX SAHARA, in which Carroll

Baker enters a desert outpost of military men and causes libidos

to go bananas. Except that here, Oshima diagrams the psychology

as clearly as Kubrick might. TABOO does not perhaps have the

human depth to be a masterpiece, but it is a reminder that Oshima

is the cinema's reigning poet of the war between control and

uncontrol.

Even after seeing this movie more than 20 times it still draws me in. Some of the best actors in Japan take part in this flim, most noticeable is Beat Takeshi. The story line is simply jaw dropping. This is the type of film that Hollywood probably wouldn't even dare make. To me the subject matter isn't shocking, but I've spent time in Japan and studied their language and culture extensively, but some people are offended by this. Simply because they cannot get past the little detail that these strong, powerful men can have gay tendencies.

The movie follows Kano Sozaburo as he joins the Shinshigumi (feudal era police). (Also not here that most of the main characters, except Kano and Tashiro are based off actual historical/famous people.) As Kano joins the rank, his beauty and sword skill captivate the men around him, from the other new recruit to the top ranking officers. Suddenly people begin to die, murdered in the night. Any more will give away the story.

IF you get the chance to see this movie do. For some it may be hard to get all the details and understand the little intricacies involved, and the ending may confuse some (especially if you are just going off what the subtitles say). But give it a chance, it's a wonderful film, but not for everyone (and not for the whole family ;)

I like the music, the acting and the setting. The kendo matches pretty well done, you get to see lots of footwork too. Great camera, and finally an odd mix of sex, gore, action and humor all rolled in one that works so well. I didn't even notice the time flying when watchin this show so engrossed I was in it ^_^ This show is full of innuendos and symbolism. Lots of brainwork to be done here, no answers spoonfed. I found myself rewatching some scenes to gain a better understanding based on the setting, posture, clothes color, etc of the actors. Every little detail counts...

Oh yeh for spoilers you should read the IMDb discussion boards, I posted my interpretations there as did many others. Like others say, there is a relatively rather ambiguous ending but if you pick up on all the clues along the way you'll understand it and then u get to appreciate the movie for being subtle and clever, saying without exactly saying.

Nagisa Oshima's work is always visually exquisite. He has that finely honed, generations-old Japanese eye for detail which has served his artistry well over the last 50 years. It reveals itself to be the difference in the world of film that a Monet, Michelangelo, or Van Gogh is to sidewalk chalk drawings.

Decades ago, Oshima set out explore new territories, to leave formula and standard, approved plot progressions behind and delve into the deeper recesses of the human experience. What comes out of that are works of storytelling which require more attention and involvement on the part of the viewer than your typical Michael Bay or Renny Harlin flick. Not that pure escapist entertainment is a bad thing; far from it. But you don't generally come away from one of those features wanting to go sit at a table with your friends, staying up to the wee hours discussing what you've just seen and all the ramifications of each scene. In simpler terms, they don't enrich your intellect! (I think even Bay?s and Harlin?s most ardent fans can agree with me on that part :-) ).

"Gohatto" is the Japanese word meaning "Taboo" in its simplest form, so you know going in your about to see something out of the ordinary. Oshima has long had a fascination with the dichotomies in Japanese culture (and frankly most cultures) between how behavior is proscribed and how the more primal, instinctual urges (mostly sex) always find their way to the surface in spite of those mores. Oshima has also found a fascination in seeing how both Western and Eastern cultures have, at one time or another (or more than one), put strict moral taboos on homosexuality, adultery, and even on prostitution, but these strictures have never eliminated or even slowed down their existence.

"Gohatto" takes us into a world 150 years ago where such things don't exist on the surface but are fully integrated into what is real life just beneath. Whether such subject matter, or exploring Eastern cultures, particularly interests you or not, if you're interested in being challenged by the art that you see, "Gohatto" (like Peter Greenaway's recent "The Pillow Book") is a must-see film.

Ïn 1865, in Kyoto, in a period of fights among different clans, Sozaburo Kano (Ryuhei Matsuda) and Hyozo Tashiro (Tadanobu Asano) join a samurai legion to be trained as warriors. The beauty of the manipulative Kano sexually attracts the other men, including high ranking commanders, and he becomes lover of Tashiro.

"Gohatto" is a weird movie for westerns like me, who are not familiarized with Japanese culture. However, it is a beautiful movie, with a stunning music score and a wonderful photography. Although I have not completely understood the plot, specially the conclusion of the story, I found this movie very intriguing and I liked it. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Tabu" (Taboo")