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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
unique, creepy and astonishing, March 19, 2003
as an artist who has experienced the artist model dynamic first hand, i have to say this is an amazingly imagined film. the old cliched bondage premise -- if you chain and abuse a pretty woman long enough, she will thank you for it -- is given a startling and provocative twist. a diligent and lovely female model encounters a blind man groping a nude statue she posed for, and sneaks away in fear. days later she calls in a massage after a long day's work, only to realize the provider is the same blind groper! too late: she's drugged and hauled off to an old warehouse where she is held captive. the blind man is a sculptor, who wants to create an art of touch, and she is his perfect model. the hook? well, she has to consent to a lot of groping. the rest is an astonishing blend of hitchcock and radley metzger, with a completely audacious conclusion. the acting is passionate throughout -- the artist's speech to the girl disclosing his true intentions is rousing and creepy at the same time -- with many physical and psychological struggles punctuating the characters' gradual union of purpose. one of a kind.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
palpable suspense, August 1, 2002
if you like films like "the manchurian candidate", "blue velvet", "psycho", "sunset boulevard" or other films which feature overblown, hyperstylized psychological scenarios, this is a film you must see! the characters often talk as if they're psychoanalyzing each other, or themselves. however, the film resists facile readings because the neurotic obsessions of the characters change greatly over the course of the film. The film manages to touch on some very interesting issues about the unconscious motivation for art, some really strange issues of motherhood, and the desire for pain and pleasure, in a way that is frank, unpretentious and totally captivating. In the end, the film is almost a critique of normative psychology the way you could say that david lynch's films are. while less accomplished and more straightforward than lynch, this film does an absurd amount with a small budget, three actors and a great deal of imagination. the artist's warehouse must be the wildest set ever built. it must be seen to be believed. masumura uses light in this atmosphere like a master. the music is also top-notch, and while used sorta strangely, it really ends up adding a lot to the film. the actor who plays the blind sculptor is really convincing, i think, even though he plays very broadly. while the female lead is less impressive, by the time the film reaches its gut-wrenching, brilliant climax, both of the actors exhibit a frenzied relationship that is quite effective. they totally make you forget that they are running around naked, you're so focused on their expressions and their reactions. this film has been on my mind for days, it really makes you wonder what kind of world you live in. i recommend it to anyone who likes psychological horror films, japanese cult cinema, or directors who try to work off of the foundation of psychological suspense that hitchcock built.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm floored......, July 14, 2002
I had heard a bit about this movie before picking it up, and I was quite pleasantly surprised! The basic premise has been covered already on this page so I'll spare that, but this thing starts off interestingly enough, gets stranger and more engrossing, then goes completely out into left field! Seriously, the story is a bit odd, the acting (though it takes some getting used to) works well for the feel of the film, the sets are amazing, and the ending is just an evisceration! I was ready to prepare myself for a boring ending, and even when I thought my intelligence couldn't take the insult that the final stretch could be considered to be, it was too fascinating not to be entertained by. I suppose my disbelief kept me glued to the screen. This is a movie that you really do need to just go along with and experience for the magic to take effect. If you're into getting a wildly creative slap in the face now and then, do yourself a favor and least see this.
Also, Fantoma should be commended for their taste, skill, and dedication to the lesser known, yet very interesting films they've chosen to resurface. One surefire way to tell that you've reached new lows in your DVD geekdom is that you start obsessing over DVD companies, and so far, Anchor Bay, Criterion (obviously), Fox Lorber, and Kino (damn! I'd better stop!) have done great things and brought us many treasures. With their track record so far of great, avant-garde features and the fact that they're working on putting out the works of Kenneth Anger, Fantoma could turn out to be a major force in subversive and obscure DVD cinema.
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