Antiporno

If like me, you're not as aware to the medium or rather genre this is a love letter to (no pun intended), you may miss certain things this nods to. Having said that, most things are apparent or at least as crazy as you'd expect them in a Sion Sono movie. Hard to grasp entirely and apprently just one of about 8 things he worked on in that year ... this is almost mind blowing.

Color and framing, the set up, everything that is put in here (or rather out there), works quite nicely. While overall I felt the title works like when you call a movie an Anti War movie - you still get war and scenes of mayhem and fighting, but they are supposed not to excite you. I would argue the same is true for this. Lots of nudity, lots of craziness. If you can deal with that and the fact there is a lot of breaking the fourth wall ... and intimidation and punishment and ... not so much arousment - you're going to be fine. Just fine

First off, this is one crazy film. Not altogether surprising as the Japanese films we get to see in the UK have a tendency to be pretty crazy and this being a film by Sion Sono, we should not be surprised if it is double crazy. Ami Tomite is beautiful and scary, skimpily dressed and nude but always shouting. Unless she is on the receiving end that is because things do change around a bit here. Lest we get too comfortable with her ordering others to strip and perform as a whore or a dog, it is being done to her. For fun or for the cameras, because there is also a film crew within the film. They also seem pretty crazy and in case we should get the impression that this is lots of sex and violence just for the sake of it, there is a devastating message hear that basically concludes that Japanese men will never allow Japanese women to be anything other than a dog or a whore. Nice!

Okay it's a given that Sion Sono is an alien. He's crazy. Strange. There are no rules, boundaries, with him. That's why we love him.

This movie didn't just break the 4th wall. This movie broke my stomach linings. I want to puke, vomit, throw up. Gross. I'm not just into this stuff. I know we were about to see porn-ish here but man I'm not just into woman-to-woman action. There's just a bad taste in my mouth after watching this. So my bias here would be evident. But I'll try to be ahem, objective.

What I love about Sion Sono is he doesn't just overwhelm you, he will really outdo your expectations. Time to build a shrine for him. Women and feminists, let's hold hands. Brace yourselves before watching this because you might want to hold on to a Rosary.

Ami Tomite, the lead, as Kyoko, was well utilized here. Her insane monologue at the beginning of the film, with a classical piece as background, showcased her versatility (and her privates too). A lonely artist who ambitions to be a whore. ????. I hope IMDb doesn't censor this,the movie itself says that word. Question marks everywhere but you need to get past that. She vomits a lot here too.

She lives a light in the limelight. Her secretary, Noriko, knocks on the door, reciting her schedule for the day. Kyoko transforms into a sadist master who exploits her slave. She's about to have an interview. The crew enters the scene. Noriko goes full nude. Kyoko remains insane. I just can't at this point, I thought of bailing out.

But I'm glad I didn't. Let's get past the nudity (but I still can't with my virgin eyes!!!!!!). Kyoko is a sad young woman. Her family and past has forced her to enter this industry. There's a notable family dinner scene that will just send you laughing, facepalming, or cursing Sono for his genius.

The movie puts a lot of colors, both literal and figurative. It looks like its set on just one setting, with just walls separating the different acts but there's really a lot of questions and deep themes presented here. Exploitation can very well define this movie. Both the innate theme and on its surface, well, I would say in a way the actresses here were made to do whatever they did. I believe there are a lot of symbolism here but you can put it which way you deem fit. And I'm not the most knowledgeable person to narrate what deep themes are being symbolised here. You'll feel it when you watch this.

The movie has a short runtime but the impact it leaves will linger for long.

I exist. I exist here. I know I exist. I exist, but not today. Today comes constantly. It'll come until I die. But I don't exist today. We don't exist in the todays we've lost. It appears as if we do, but we don't.

You wake up from a nightmare where your life is just a character evolving on stage, for the amusement of others. But you wake up. To reality. Or ... are you still on stage? If yes... where is the exit? Where?

An item that appears repeatedly throughout the movie gets a very strong meaning at the end of it. A lizard who grew too big to ever get out of the bottle he's in! Where's the exit? Where?

Antiporno is not a porn movie. It contains some nudity scenes, vulgar language and many shocking scenes. And color. A lot of color sometimes. Liquid even. But besides, it's hard to say what it is. Perhaps for someone more familiar with the work of Japanese director Sion Sono, things are clearer. It is a symbolic film, requiring an effort to understand it. And I believe that a profound knowledge of Japanese society is indispensable.

In 2016's "Antiporno" we are introduced to Kyoko who is a renowned artist and her assistant Noriko. You immediately get a sense of what kind of person Kyoko is and how she behaves towards others. She is a psychotic lunatic and she loves to humiliate others for fun. There are lots of weird scenes and the movie mostly takes place in a colorful room with some paintings and a poorly decorated interior. The movie also contains lots of nudity and sexual content which is one of the main traits the movie deals with. Then there is a sudden turn of events which completely turns the movie upside down and gives you a new perspective to look at. After some time you also get a glimpse in to the mind of Kyoko and what events had lead her to the current situation. The movie is certainly equipped with a deeper meaning and a message but that alone doesn't make a good movie. To be honest, most of the time I was looking at the screen not knowing what the movie is trying to tell me. There are lots of weird scenes with lots of screaming and sexual talk involved and in the end the movie did not succeed as is source of entertainment and that is what I'm looking for when I watch a movie. [3,8/10]