Antiporno

I exist. I exist here. I know I exist. I exist, but not today. Today comes constantly. It'll come until I die. But I don't exist today. We don't exist in the todays we've lost. It appears as if we do, but we don't.

You wake up from a nightmare where your life is just a character evolving on stage, for the amusement of others. But you wake up. To reality. Or ... are you still on stage? If yes... where is the exit? Where?

An item that appears repeatedly throughout the movie gets a very strong meaning at the end of it. A lizard who grew too big to ever get out of the bottle he's in! Where's the exit? Where?

Antiporno is not a porn movie. It contains some nudity scenes, vulgar language and many shocking scenes. And color. A lot of color sometimes. Liquid even. But besides, it's hard to say what it is. Perhaps for someone more familiar with the work of Japanese director Sion Sono, things are clearer. It is a symbolic film, requiring an effort to understand it. And I believe that a profound knowledge of Japanese society is indispensable.

First off, this is one crazy film. Not altogether surprising as the Japanese films we get to see in the UK have a tendency to be pretty crazy and this being a film by Sion Sono, we should not be surprised if it is double crazy. Ami Tomite is beautiful and scary, skimpily dressed and nude but always shouting. Unless she is on the receiving end that is because things do change around a bit here. Lest we get too comfortable with her ordering others to strip and perform as a whore or a dog, it is being done to her. For fun or for the cameras, because there is also a film crew within the film. They also seem pretty crazy and in case we should get the impression that this is lots of sex and violence just for the sake of it, there is a devastating message hear that basically concludes that Japanese men will never allow Japanese women to be anything other than a dog or a whore. Nice!

Anti-Porno is another mind-bender by prolific Japanese cult cinema director Sion Sono. The North American premiere had a sold out seating of intrigued moviegoers. Some liked it including myself and my Japanese-Canadian friend who speaks fluent Japanese and other utterly disliked this bizarre piece of cinema. Understandably, this is not for everybody and is definitely in the sexually charged vein of Strange Circus (2005) and Guilty Romance (2011) realm rather than palatable post-apocalyptic dramas like Himizu (2011) or Land of Hope (2012).

Sono is an artist and has one the most disparate notions of time for his movies with his two best, Cold Fish (2010) and Noriko's Dinner Table (2005), clocking around 150-160 mins, but Love Exposure (2008) rambling on at 240 mins, while Tag (2015) ticked by in 85 mins. The Whispering Star (2015) is only 100 mins but feels like years with sparse dialogue and landscapes, long slow takes and black & white interplanetary postal robot mood. Anti- Porno is his shortest here at 78 mins but packs a lot of tricks in a tight vision of lust and lost.

The movie starts with cute clichés and colourful art direction concerning sex and seduction in an S&M and bisexual tension kind of way. Add a toilet, a toy, other girls as audience / participants, a taunt and a twist!

Ami Tomite who also started in Sono's Tag (2015) and The Virgin Psychics (2015) plays the lead and seductress self-proclaimed whore. She is a superstar and has her assistant prepare her packed daily schedule, including a photo-shoot, but verbal abuse, nudity, submission, sex, slicing of wrists and depravity ensue. Take a photo-shoot and video of all this…

Then comes the role reversal and question of identity. Who is shooting who and playing who? Who is directing? Who is writing? Who is shooting a sex scene in the woods or in a room? Who is a whore and a virgin? How to emancipate ourselves? What is sex and what does it say about society and individuals?

This film raises many questions, is a welcome criticism of sex as a taboo and explores Japanese sexual repression and oppression specifically, but touches on worldly and beautiful themes with a mature, daring tone. The conversation of teenage girls and their parents at dinner table is priceless and unheard of. A necessary discussion of equals that makes you think while shocking your preconceived ideas about sex and parenting, even if you are a liberal!

Thank you Sono for again pushing the boundaries.

Lots of beauty and thoughts in this seemingly absurd and self- absorbed subtle sexual and mental exploration.

Japan 2016| 78 min | Festival du Nouveau Cinema | Japanese (English subtitles)

I sat down here in 2023 to watch the 2016 Japanese drama "Anchiporuno" (aka "Antiporno") for the first time ever. Actually, I had never even heard about the movie prior to watching it, so I didn't know what I was in for, nor did I have any expectations to writer and director Sion Sono. All that mattered here was the fact that it was a Japanese movie that I hadn't already seen.

Well, this movie was definitely something else. First of all, then Sion Sono certainly managed to deliver a movie that was fully and wholly unpredictable. Just as you start to think you got it figured out, then the movie goes off in a whole new direction. And that was actually a good thing, because you never knew where you would be lead by writer and director Sion Sono.

The storyline in "Anchiporuno" is somewhat of an acquired taste, though. And that makes the movie somewhat of a niche movie. And by that I mean that "Anchiporuno" is not a movie that will appeal to the general audience. Nay, this is somewhat of an acquired taste. I found the storyline to be interesting though, because it was so different and unique.

The acting performances in the movie were good. The only familiar face on the cast list for me was Mariko Tsutsui (playing Noriko). It should be said that they had a good ensemble of actresses and actors, and they brought the characters to life on the screen in an enjoyable way.

You should take heed though, that "Anchiporuno" does contain its share of nudity and adult scenes, so this is not a movie suitable for just everyone.

If you enjoy niche movies and movies that stand out as being unique, then you certainly should take into consideration giving Sion Sono's 2016 movie "Anchiporuno" a chance.

My rating of "Anchiporuno" lands on a six out of ten stars.

If like me, you're not as aware to the medium or rather genre this is a love letter to (no pun intended), you may miss certain things this nods to. Having said that, most things are apparent or at least as crazy as you'd expect them in a Sion Sono movie. Hard to grasp entirely and apprently just one of about 8 things he worked on in that year ... this is almost mind blowing.

Color and framing, the set up, everything that is put in here (or rather out there), works quite nicely. While overall I felt the title works like when you call a movie an Anti War movie - you still get war and scenes of mayhem and fighting, but they are supposed not to excite you. I would argue the same is true for this. Lots of nudity, lots of craziness. If you can deal with that and the fact there is a lot of breaking the fourth wall ... and intimidation and punishment and ... not so much arousment - you're going to be fine. Just fine