8.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Irreverently zany, black-comedy drama capturing a year in the life of 17-year-old Yu. Yu falls into sinful ways after the death of his saintly mother and his father's subsequent ordainment to the Catholic priesthood. Yu's speciality as a petty criminal is taking sneaky camera shots up girls' skirts while he ostensibly performs elaborate martial arts moves. He falls in love with rough diamond Yoko, but their future together comes under threat when the creepy Koike goes all out to lure Yu into his religious cult.
Starring: Hikari Mitsushima, Takahiro Nishijima, Sakura Andô, Atsurô Watabe, Makiko WatanabeForeign | 100% |
Drama | 57% |
Dark humor | 8% |
Romance | 7% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In one of the funniest (if unintentional) punch lines from my youth, my Mother’s response to one of my sisters’ conversion to Catholicism left me in giggling fits right there in the church during the confirmation Mass which included my sister taking a new "Catholic" middle name of a saint. My sister, who was not exactly the best behaved child and in fact had been exiled to my Aunt’s home halfway across the United States from my family's domicile during my sister’s senior year in high school after her illicit dalliances with her then boyfriend were discovered, had to confess her sins as part of this ceremony which we all witnessed. My sister was in and out of the confession booth in a matter of mere moments and my Mother, without a hint of irony, turned to us and stated firmly, “She can’t possibly have confessed everything she’s done in that short amount of time.” I’m pretty sure Mom was joking, but Tetsu (Atsuro Watabe), the father in Sion Sono’s excruciatingly (no pun intended, considering the root of that word) long Love Exposure, is deadly serious when he insists his son Yu (Takahiro Nishijima) confess his sins, sins which the poor boy hasn’t even really committed. Some eyebrows may have been at least slightly raised when Olive Films’ Frank Tarzi revealed Olive would be releasing some Sion films (in our exclusive interview with him) on Blu-ray, for Sion is not exactly a household name in the West and even in his own country is seen as something of a provocateur. Love Exposure is, despite its controversial subject matter, not as in your face as some other Sion pieces, but it manages to create its own quasi-hallucinatory fervor over the course of its four hour (yes, four hour) running time, first in its depiction of the dysfunctional relationship between Yu and his father, and then the psychological minefield that erupts within Yu once he decides that since he’s confessing to sins he hasn’t been committing, he might as well go ahead and sin already.
Love Exposure is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Though I haven't seen the British Region "B" release of this film which my colleague Dr. Svet Atanasov reviewed here, a cursory comparison of the screenshots supports my theory that this is most likely not the same transfer. This transfer, while generally adequately sharp and decently detailed, seems a good deal more washed out than the British release, with less fulsome flesh tones and just a generally less robust level of saturation. This transfer also seems just slightly softer in comparison as well. While contrast between the two releases appears similar, the Olive release, perhaps by dint of its less robust saturation, doesn't look like it pops quite as well in the film's darker sequences. On the other hand, it must also be said there appears to be more overall brightness in the Olive release, which makes some of the shadow detail clearer and the daytime scenes pop quite nicely. All of this said, I have never seen Love Exposure theatrically and so cannot offer a valid opinion on which transfer better reproduces the original film appearance. What this is probably going to boil down to for most consumers is, obviously first depending on if they have a multi-region player, whether they prefer a somewhat darker and more saturated appearance or the lighter, less contrasty appearance of this transfer.
Love Exposure features the original Japanese language track presented via a Dolby TrueHD 2.0 audio option. Dr. Atanasov's review of the British release, which had a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, doesn't mention a glut of surround activity, and in fact the film is often on the quiet, dialogue driven side of things, an aspect which is supported quite well on this track. The film does almost obsessively utilize a couple of classical musical cues, both of which might have benefited from a surround track, but which are presented here with excellent fidelity. The overall mix, while obviously narrow, is well prioritized and features good dynamic range.
Unfortunately, none of the supplements that were offered on the British release of Love Exposure have been included on this Blu-ray.
Love Exposure isn't an easy film to love, but it creates a compelling mood that seeps into the subconscious and makes for an often unforgettable experience. This will nonetheless not be a film for the mass market, and probably only the more adventurous cinephile need apply to take on the film's rather heady mix of religious symbolism and "alternate" sexual behaviors. This Olive release unfortunately doesn't include any of the supplements that graced the British release, and the transfer seems rather pallid in comparison, as well. Still, those without a multi-region player may want to check out this odd enterprise, a film which fairly screams Art House.
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