Tokyo Decadence (1992)

Best movie of this year hands down!

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Great Film overall

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

I checked this film out because I discovered it was written by one of Japan's most controversial writers, Ryu Murakami, who wrote the novel that Takashi Miike's AUDITION was based on. Murakami not only wrote the book of TOKYO DECADENCE, but he also adapted it for the screen and directed this adaptation to boot.Unfortunately, this turns out to be a near unwatchable bore, a film I could barely stand to sit through thanks to the subject matter. TOKYO DECADENCE explores the world of S&M and in particular the life of a submissive prostitute who's treated cruelly by her clients. Sadly, the experiences she undergoes sees her gradually losing her mind, building to a narrative climax of sorts.95% of this film is made up of near-pornographic fetish scenes of women being forced to undergo weird and humiliating sexual experiences. The acting is non-existent and the characterisation barely there; instead, Murakami seems to enjoy just wallowing in the sleaze and the degradation of women. Not my cup of tea at all, I'm afraid; a few atmospheric shots of the Tokyo skyline and the occasional scene of plotting fail to make this anywhere close to becoming a 'proper' film.

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.

A shimmering brightness infuses "Tokyo Decadence". The neon-blasted streets, the eerie, artificial glow of offices and hotel rooms, even the translucent glow of daylight insinuates under the skin of the film. The antiheroine of the film passes through a sexual Seven-Circles-of-Hell in Tokyo, used and battered by clients, gangsters and even friends who ply her with drugs and subversive sex. None of the sexuality is erotic, but it's also not presented as obscene or tragic. The spare, minimal approach to the dialogue heightens the tension and sense of dislocation. The film presents sex as a matter-of-fact commodity, flesh as spiritual bargaining tool in return for a temporary escape from alienation and fear. It's an intriguing film, difficult to watch but rich in visual beauty and its subtextual dimensions are quite rewarding. The film fetishizes everything to the point of abstraction. The city of Tokyo becomes a gleaming morass of lights, skyscrapers and soullessness. A brutal and delicate work of art.

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".