U.S. distributors Olive Films have announced that they will release on Blu-ray directed by Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono:
Guilty of Romance (2011), starring Miki Mizuno, Makoto Togashi, and Megumi Kagurazaka, and
Himizu (2011), starring Shôta Sometani, Fumi Nikaidô, and Tetsu Watanabe. The two releases are scheduled to arrive on the U.S. market in October.
Guilty of Romance
Synopsis: The a third installment in Sion Sono's infamous "Hate Film" trilogy (Love Exposure, Cold Fish), Guilty of Romance is a noirish thriller that follows a female police detective (Miki Mizuno) as her investigation of a brutal murder draws her into mysterious sexual underworld of Tokyo. At the same time, the film explores the sexually frustrated housewife (Megumi Kagurazaka) who has come to the "love hotel district" to escape her patriarchal existence, and explore her own dark fantasies.
Special Features:
- International Cut of the film (113 minutes)
- Original Japanese Cut of the film (144 minutes), previously unavailable in North America.
Himizu
Synopsis: Inspired by the popular Manga, and directed by Japanese provocateur Sion Sono (Guilty of Romance, Suicide Club), Himizu centers upon two teenagers, struggling for survival in a town devastated by the 2011 tsunami. Alienated from his family and devoid of hope for the future, Yuichi becomes a vigilante and commits a string of violent acts upon the world's evildoers, including his abusive father. Keiko is a former classmate who has an obsessive fascination with Yuichi, following every move of the disenchanted teen's murder spree. While some critics were alarmed by the film's "brutal violence" (The Hollywood Reporter), others praised newcomers Shota Sometani and Fumi Nikaido, who shared the Marcello Mastroianni Prize, for Best New Actor, at the 68th Venice Film Festival.