I can’t even remember how Love Exposure made it onto my Lovefilm rental queue, then the discs sat on my desk for the best part of a fortnight. Before you read past the jump I should warn you that it’s a very long film (the commercial release is four hours; the director’s cut, which I haven’t seen, clocks in at six) and it’s not one for the easily offended.
The plot synopsis is hard to summarise but at its core Love Exposure is a coming-of-age romantic comedy. Its intertwining plot threads feature graphic gore and manga-style violence, domestic strife, panty shots, teen angst, sexual and religious taboos and numerous awkward boners. To reiterate: not for the easily offended. It’s still bloody genius though.
The only film I’ve seen that even remotely resembles this one is Survive Style 5+, which was observed by one critic as “Pulp Fiction on steroids, and with better acting.” Both of these films share some stylistic similarities with Tarantino – such as unusual yet effective choices of music, Ravel’s Boléro being a good example in this case – but lack the self-indulgent glorification of sex, violence and other fetishes; Love Exposure does feature some shocking moments but at least doesn’t portray them in the same way that Tarantino does. Shock value – and fetishes – are key themes in this movie but I felt differently about them here…and even the awkwardness- and discomfort-based comedy of the coming-of-age aspect weren’t too offputting, as is often the case for me.
The length of the film is an important point, not least because I’m one of those viewers who’s guilty of the “…side characters and minor plot points cannot be fully addressed in the running time of a stand-alone feature…” criticism. Love Exposure seems to have realised this so takes the time to go off at tangents, stops to introduce and follow up on incidental people and events, and maintains a comfortable pace without letting boredom set in.
The price to be paid for this is four full hours of your life and if I were to be honest, would it be a much worse film if it were slightly shorter? No, not really. It takes longer than necessary in order to go where it needs to go but there are none of the resulting stodgy, languid moments or shaky acting you might expect. The fact that Sion Sono’s writing is able to sustain itself over such a duration is remarkable but the expansive screenplay also gives the characters the breathing-room they need to develop. Since pretty much everyone of any importance in the film is emotionally fucked up in some way or another, I can’t emphasise the importance of background and development enough.
As much as I could go on about how unpredictable the story gets at points, the larger-than-life characters really make this film and the performances, particularly from the younger members of the cast, are outstanding. Takahiro Nishijima pulls off the bemused, frustrated adolescent Yu Honda with both likeable goofiness and genuine pathos; Sakura Ando is gleefully ruthless as Aya Koike while holding the crucial element of sympathy for her shocking and tragic upbringing; and Hikari Mitsushima as Yoko Ozawa…yeah.
Most J-cinema geeks will remember Mitsushima as the sweet and innocent kid sister in the Death Note live-action efforts but I was floored by the realisation that this gal can act. My first impression actually was “Hot damn! She’s GORGEOUS…” but after reining that in I was amazed at how she stole scenes on professional talent alone. The humour is for the most part slapstick or pitch-black farce but when the drama kicks into overdrive the cast absolutely shine.
I’ve read that Sono is interested in the life story of Jesus but has no particular religious stance; although Chrisitanity takes a significant role in the story of Love Exposure it’s more a case of examining how individuals’ faith and beliefs shape them and those around them. I expect the religious aspect is controversial among the domestic audiences for different reasons: the Zero Church cult bears an uncanny resemblance to organisations such as the notorious Aum Shinrikyo that made headlines in the most shocking way possible in the 1990s (for more info on that incident, I recommend Underground: the Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by Haruki Murakami).
I don’t think that social commentary was on the agenda here though. A pivotal moment in the movie (and another dramatic high point for Mitsushima I might add) is a recital of a passage from Corinthians that lays the themes of faith, hope and love bare and manages to present the religious, superficial and more seriously romantic aspects of the meaning of “love” fully. It kick-starts the dramatic and blood-soaked finale as Yu realises the depth of his feelings for Yoko (as opposed to merely noticing how she gives him a tent-pole in his trousers) and resolves the other main subplots in a way that makes staggering sense.
The ‘extreme’ moments suggest that this film is an exercise in being as lively and firecracker-under-your-backside startling as possible so it’s a bit of a surprise to realise that its extensive plot and eccentric cast are all in the name of an in-depth and remarkably affecting character study. Perhaps because of the four-hour duration or perhaps because so much batshit insanity happens during the course of the movie, the ending is all the more jaw-dropping and satisfying.
The time I needed to physically watch the thing was the main reason I put it off for so long, but within minutes of Yura Yura Teikoku’s Kudo Desu finishing over the end credits I went straight to ordering my own copy despite the fact that payday was still a week away. The striking storytelling and memorable characters made such an impression on me but I appreciate the fact that it’s so long, dark and twisted it’ll be more of a cult title than a mainstream hit. For all the importance placed on the importance of love, understanding and family I could never comfortably sit down and watch it with my own…
Ultimately it made me grin like a loon and gave me that rare ‘drained in a good way’ feeling and that of wanting to tell anyone who will listen about how it’s one of the best movies I’ve seen in months. And Hikari Mitsushima is still HAWT. ^_^
*And I might add more original screencaps when my retail copy arrives.*