AntiPorno

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.

Well, let's say... it's not simple at all. You need to know some works of Japanese cinematography and paths they leads, 'cause otherwise Anchiporuno will be a big pile of trash with screaming naked girls and messed storyline. Actually it is. But digging deeper expose another level - a brilliant poetic style and very sensual emotion, just like dissonance sonates in early XX's. It's a searching, passion, movement and goal of what's happens in the movie.

Plus naked screaming girls. Don't forget, this is important.

Or just I think so.

I don't think that it has some message, pointing to sexual problems of Japanese society (but if you find it, that's okay, I'm not judging), rather uncertain sense of madness binding by personal disorder. Sexual ego jumping upside down, but in some kind of wild baroque dance.

Awesome.

When you're watching works by Sion Sono you can't just rate it in half-ten stars or seven, or any other way, you either catch his wave or spit on the screen in agony. This one is a perfect Sono- catching.

P.S. Mariko Tsutsui acting is 10/10.

I don't think it is a masterpiece.

Yes, I can understand the theme even if I'm not familiar with Japanese cinematography. There is a lot of symbolism and it acts as an abstract social commentary and I'm sure it resonates a lot better with the repressed Japanese society than it does with me.

However, this doesn't mean it is a good movie. A similar movie that breaks the fourth wall is Dogville. But that movie makes sense. The plot is interesting. There is coherence to it. It hits you hard, emotionally. The final scene feels right even if it is so wrong. It is a masterpiece compared to this.

This movie is a set of almost random scenes that are connected by an overall theme of feminine repression and sexuality and chaos. It's the movie that critics will look at and say "wow, this is so freakin' deep" when as an experiment in cinematography, is fine, but as a movie, fails dramatically.

Sure, you can think I'm a moron and that I don't understand conceptual cinematography and that this movie is not for a caveman like me. But I've seen similar movies and theatre and I don't mind the idea. The idea and concept are goods. The execution itself is flawed. I should have feel shocked or disgusted or thoughtful or anxious at the end and I'm not. I felt bored. I was asking myself "c'mon, when does this end?". The first part was interesting, especially breaking the fourth wall, but overall, I found it a waste of time.

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

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]