Clevercell Very disappointing...

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Uriah43 "Ai" (Miho Nikaido) is a 22-year old is a 22-year old prostitute who makes a living in the S&M market in which anything goes. For example, in the first scene she is bound, gagged and blindfolded while her client injects a hallucinogenic drug of some sort into her bare leg. What happens next is somewhat unclear and like the rest of the film is left for the viewer to figure out. Other scenes involve similar kinds of deviant sexual practices in which she is sometimes the receiver of punishment and other times the giver--but in all cases it is quite apparent that she doesn't relish either role. As a matter of fact, she tells one of her clients named "Mr. Ishioka" (Tenmei Kano) that she doesn't believe she is good at anything. This lack of self-confidence permeates her persona and causes her to lead a life in which she is always a victim. At least, that is how it seemed to me. Likewise, I believe this film also suggests that a large proportion of the men in Japan feel similarly humiliated in the eyes of the rest of the world possibly due to their conduct during World War 2. Hence the reason that the characters act in such a manner. Now having said that I must admit that my interpretation of this film might be incorrect and others may have discovered a completely different meaning. Or perhaps the film consists of nothing more than one repulsive scene after another and has no real meaning at all. In any case, I felt that almost all of the scenes were unnecessarily vulgar and obscene and wonder if perhaps the director (Ryû Murakami) lacked the ability to present his underlying theme any other way. Regardless, I found the movie to be rather long and boring and I have rated it accordingly. Below average.

czzgill I saw the extremely edited version of this film for USA release and was completely disgusted. Not by the story or "sex" but by the absolute lack of discernible plot or point. The first half of the movie was intriguing and interesting, but at some point our heroine meets up with a stranger colleague who talks with her about her love problems (?) with someone (?) and gives her the sage advice to go to him and tell him her feelings. (feelings? love interest? wha? who's he?) then the strange lady gives our heroine a pill, telling her it will give her courage. She takes the pill and then goes on a long, bizarre journey that makes no sense and ends up somewhere, meanwhile the strange woman dies of an overdose of something. Wha? Huh? Apparently the lost 23 minutes are the joining parts of the story. The movie ultimately made NO sense whatsoever. I'm guessing that all the glowing reviews are from the people who were blessed with those 23 minutes that I did not see.If the copy you are looking at is timed at under 130 minutes, don't waste your time.

gregoryh If you enjoy seeing BDSM films, this should be on your list of must-sees.The film deteriorates, however, and carries on aimlessly for some time before its ungraceful end. I rate it a 6: 9 for the S&M and a 3 for the rest.

BookWorm-10 A call girl who works for the S&M service went through 6 sessions of bizarre sexual adventure. She was abused physically and mentally by the clients. I think this movie is great because it gives you a view of Japanese sexual culture in the 90's. Overworked men seek excitment in perverted sexual endeavors. Women's status in a society can be seen through the degrading sexual practice. A great film for adults. However, if you are looking for sex go watch "In the realm of senses".