Moonlight Whispers

As one for years who has repressed my feelings about certain fetishes, this movie was truly liberating. I admire how the director treats the subject so maturely and the manner in which the young woman confronts her boyfriend's desire to "be her dog". For those of you that actively participate in certain fetish lifestyles, this movie is a can't-miss. And for those of you who don't, you will enjoy the complex relationship between the young man and woman and the manner in which they learn to hurdle the obstacles that stand in the way of their love.

BDSM is not just about dragon women in black leather cracking whips and the men who willingly submit. This movie truly captures the subtleties of BDSM and explores deep into the psychology of the characters to find out why they desire to act out their fantasies in such an uncommon manner. Enjoy.

Gekkõ no sasayaki it's one of those films that could have only come from Japan. It's a psycho-sexual drama about two young teenagers who start dating. Their relationship begins innocently enough but when Satsuki(girl) learns that Takuya (boy) is into sadomasochism she labels him as pervert and leaves him. However, Takuya keeps pursuing Satsuki and as time passes by, Satsuki is drawn back by the power Takuya's fetishes give her over him.

This is definitely one of those subjects that Hollywood wouldn't try to tackle, at least not with the subtlety that is so often seen in Asian films. And don't take me wrong, it's subtle but it's also extremely powerful. it's just that everything arises from character development and interaction and not from gimmicks.

The plot is well thought out and the acting was pretty good. I just wish the director had explored Takuya's reasons and motives a little more and also a bit more focus on Satsuki's inner conflict (Her enjoying the s&m games but at the same time feeling it's wrong). Still, it's a good film and probably worth checking if you like Asian cinema.

7/10

Oh, I don't know. Even making allowances for differences across cultures and timeframes, it just seems to me that wherever a story of romance centers high school kids - crushes are one thing, romances are another - it immediately becomes less believable, and still less so the more that the characters are sexualized. The discussion of whether or not such stories are even appropriate is a matter for another day; the number of fellow students I ever knew in school who ever claimed to be more physical than "holding hands" or "kissing" was in the single digits, and most of them were definitely exaggerating. I'm not about to kink-shame Takuya or Satsuki provided everything is consensual, but 'Moonlight whispers' is asking a lot of us as viewers in trying to posit that these teenagers are so sexually inclined, let alone that they are aware of their own particular proclivities. Then there's the way that all this is presented, which in its own way raises questions about treatment of animals. Am I spending a lot of words questioning the behavior of fictional teenagers in a way that I wouldn't if these characters were adults? Yes. Yes I am.

And still, trying to set aside the fact that the movie is predicated on the behavior of these teen characters: beyond realism, there is the question of whether a narrative is written in a fashion that makes it convincing, and compelling. I think there are excellent ideas here, in the characterizations, in the dialogue, in the scene writing, and indeed in the plot at large. I'm not so sure that the specific form they are given by screenwriter Nishiyama Yoichi, or filmmaker Shiota Akihiko, holds any water. Or maybe the same subjective flaws can be traced to Kikuni Masahiko's manga; I don't know. I just know what somewhere between root conception, final formulation, and execution, the fundamental ideas on hand tend to go from "possibly interesting" to "um, what?" Only in sadly scattered bits and pieces does the picture hit on some little spark of brilliance, and I regret to inform that "sadly scattered bits and pieces" don't make for a satisfying viewing experience. Which then necessarily leads us back to observing that 'Moonlight whispers' is about high school students. There are fragments of lasting value here, but that's all.

Oh yes, the cast give admirable, expressive, committed performances. I can see why Tsugumi was lauded for her acting as Satsuki, for she shines more brightly than anything else in these one hundred minutes; Mizuhashi Kenji is swell, too. I appreciate the sparing touches of Honda Shinsuke's music as they lend flavor. Many shots are unexpectedly gorgeous, especially with various choices of lighting; director Shiota should be proud in that regard, and likewise cinematographer Komatsubara Shigeru. In fact, those operating behind the scenes, in general, turned in outstanding work. But that only gets us so far, doesn't it? The storytelling in the feature remains the problem; even as the whole slowly finds more of its legs (in the back end), the strength is highly variable. I can imagine an iteration of 'Moonlight whispers' that met its potential with all the same virtue of the best thoughts and contributions that went into it, yet as it exists this 1999 film isn't that. I suppose I'm glad for those who find this more rewarding than I do. I don't regret watching. I'm also unlikely to think on it ever again, and I'll never watch it again. C'est la vie. What's next?

Well, I just saw my first Japanese film [Sasayaki (2000) USA] that showed Japan just as I viewed it last year - the landscape, the city, country, rice patties, trains, canned soda dispeners and the natural hot spa. In essence, a motion visual that in one or more of the 1200 digital images that I captured, had an equivalent that my eye saw as meaningful to my CY2000 trip. I even went to a local high school and took pictures of a martial arts training of local youth in southern Japan.

The only thing missing from my trip was the basic content of this film - its story.

This is a coming of age story with a tinge of Japanese politeness and tradition in social introduction, just skewed by a few years in time backwards to the American experience - perhaps into the 60's when sex during high school was the daring thing to do and then talk or brag about.

As a coming of age story, the script and acting maintains a balance of innocence and exploration as the theme dances around sadomasochism in an increasing eddy that entraps the next experience.

The beauty of this film is its innocence and its honesty in portraying the boundaries of sexual experience and an obsession that can bind innocence into something more permanent outside of those first sexual experiences and beginnings.

It is not a fearful film to watch, but simply a difficult film to describe without creating fear in its next, potential viewer. As the film ends, there is still an essence of innocence and beauty and love between the boy and girl.

In it's simplest form this movie is about a boy and a girl who fall in love.

While that could make a good movie this one throws in a realistic problem. The boy gets off on masochism. While many viewers may find this scary it is a realistic and common fetish. I for one thinks it is quite exciting.

But as erotic as some people might find it that's not what the movie deals with. It deals with the psychological impact of that realization.

The girl does not know how to handle that aspect of the relationship and the boy finds himself 'desturbed and perverted' Problems arise and both try to come to terms with the situation in different ways.

Whitout going too much of the story away I want to make clear this is NOT a pornographic movie. It tries to address certain more exotic aspects of sexuality in a normal, non-judgmental way. It shows us what could happen in a relationship when one or both parties has a fetish. It also shows us that having a fetish does not mean that the love for one-another is different than any other relationship. Just the way someone expresses it or experiences it is different.

All in all a very honest and heartwarming movie.