Aoi Nakajima, Eiko Matsuda, Meika Seri

n 1936, in the midst of rising Japanese militarism, a former prostitute, Sada, goes to work as a maid in a brothel. The house's handsome owner, Kichizo, soon begins to court her, and Sada eagerly retu...( read more  read more... )rns his attentions. Their subsequent affair grows more and more intense until their sexual obsession threatens to destroy them both.

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69% liked it

1,094 ratings

Critics

82% liked it

28 critics

NC-17, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: Nagisa Oshima

Release Date: January 1, 1976

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DVD Release Date: April 25, 2000

Stats: 340 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (340)


  • May 16, 2009
    Here we have the #1 film not to see on a first date.

    "In the Realm of the Senses" is widely believed to be one of the most controversial films of all time. It was banned from most places when it was first released, and to this day there are still places across the world where it...( read more) is not permitted to be sold. The plot is a sensationalized version of the infamous story in which, in 1936 Japan, an ex-geisha woman wondered the streets of Tokyo with her dead lover's penis. The setting is perhaps the most important thing to understand about the film. When you consider that this story takes place in Japan under the militaristic regime, the film moves from being something completely appalling and pornographic to a film about feminism and unrestrained expressionism. It's a film about fighting taboos and societal expectation in order to attain true personal freedom.

    The film follows Sada (Eiko Matsuda), a young newly-employed prostitute. She must take the job to pay off the debts of her deadbeat husband. The owner of the brothel is Toku (Aio Nakajima), who is married to Kichi (Tatsuya Fuji), a businessman. Sada and Kichi begin an affair that revolves mostly around unrelenting passionate sex. Nothing is hidden from the camera - whether it be actual penetration or semen coming from a woman's lips. This, of course, is the matter to be discussed about the film. Where is the line between pure pornography and art?

    As Sada and Kichi grow more passionate, Sada becomes increasingly jealous and demanding. She tells Kichi that should he have sex with his wife again, she will kill him. Also, their sexual encounters become increasingly violent. Kichi, the submissive partner of the relationship, reluctantly allows Sada to strangle him while they make love. It's incredibly uncomfortable to watch the events unfold, and not because of the nudity. The simple progression of the relationship - from an "innocent" affair, to an absurd obsession, to a completely dark and violent relationship is horrifying. Finally, as was foreshadowed earlier in the film, Sada accidentally strangles Kichi to death during sex and then cuts off his penis with a butcher knife.

    I think it's safe to say that this film isn't for everyone. Those who accept the graphic nature of the material, however, will find it to be utterly engaging. The nudity and explicit sex is necessary in the film to show the passion between the couple. Hiding body parts in shadows or showing vague close ups of skin would not illustrate the love efficiently, nor would it be as effective of a message of freedom of expression. "In the Realm of the Sense" is perhaps the best film i've seen that I would never recommend to anybody.
  • January 7, 2009
    Fascinating tale of two lovers who become so obsessed with each other that it eventually consumes them. I lost count as to how many times this couple had sex but it was a LOT. If there ever was a film that could have benefited from a little 'product placement' of Viagra, this w...( read more)ould be that film.
  • January 1, 2009
    i don't think it's pornography, there is just too much sex. it got a little repetitive. lol
  • July 15, 2008
    an explicit but only okay erotic story about a woman that slowly becomes more and more obsessed with her sexual partner. she also gets more and more violent eventually resulting in... well... you'll see! all i have to say is "ouch!". worth a watch if you don't mind explicit sex i...( read more)n your movies. also it's based around a true happening in the 1930's
  • January 20, 2008
    Porn dressed up as art. This Japanese-made film tells the supposedly true story of a couple who are sexually obsessed with each other to the point of murder. While it's titillating enough in places (a very quick fellatio scene is here for example), it's actually kinda boring watc...( read more)hing these people have sex all the time. And once one of the main characters snaps towards the end, it loses all momentum it had. Yawn.
  • September 20, 2009
    A beautiful tale based on true events of a deeply passionate and sadistic love affair.
  • September 16, 2009
    A Japanese cult classic exclusively for the open-minded to new alternatives of storytelling and artistic forms of expression. Although the film may cause an incredible amount of controversy around the world, it is undeniably powerful, dark, graphic and unbelievable. Give this fil...( read more)m (which could have been a lot better) a shot. Not to be missed, but my warning has already been said. Enjoy!

    77/100
  • June 11, 2009
    PAN AND SCAN. Sincera y poderosa en su exploración de una relación de amor obsesivo y erótico. La película tiene como mérito su falta de pudor al ser explícita y genuinamente erótica. El crescendo de la pasión, sin embargo, a veces se fuerza en la narrativa, al igual que algunas ...( read more)instancias sexuales. / Sincere and powerful in exploring an obsessive and erotic love relationship. The film has the merit of being unabashedly explicit and genuinely erotic. The crescendo of the passion, however, sometimes is forced upon the narrative, same as a few sexual instances.
  • May 13, 2009
    It broke my heart. I did love it, though I felt at times it felt a bit hollow.
  • April 2, 2009
    one theatre only after permission of police had in Greece this film .....

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