Customer Reviews

Rokugatsu no hebi [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Just as twistedly brilliant as Tetsuo, though slightly less hyperkinetic, Tsukamoto's A Snake of June explores similar themes of repressed sexuality and contrasting worlds, but with a far more linear plotline. Though metallic phallus imagery and psychosexual encounters do make an appearance.

When suicide hotline counselor Rinko (Asuka Kurosawa) receives explicit photos of herself from a mysterious caller, she is thrown into a depraved game of hidden fantasies and unrestrained sexual desire. As the voyeuristic stalker becomes determined to alter her passionless life, Rinko's compulsively clean husband Shigehiko (Yuji Koutari) attempts to hunt him down and the three disillusioned soul's paths will inevitably intertwine.

Tsukamoto's visual style is unmistakably daring and A Snake of June is no exception. Bathed in blue to suggest the unrelenting presence of water, the images created are painstakingly crafted and unforgettably bizarre. Close-ups of snails, drains, and circular windows mix with frantic shots of action and nightmarishly surreal dreams pepper reality. Far more linear than some of Tsukamoto's previous efforts, there's still plenty of hallucinatory imagery to comprehend, most memorably the sex show dream sequence accenting the themes of voyeurism and the contrast of viewing the organic through circles. Frenetic editing and dizzying camerawork also strive to keep this thriller from ever slowing down, and even during extended single shots on a stationary subject, the camera refuses to stay put, heightening the sense of voyeurism and paranoia. Even in the chapter breaks Tsukamoto's maddeningly creative artistry is at work as curious symbols denote the passing of time and the gradual joining of figures.

To match the delirious visuals is a fantastically diverse array of sound effects and music from composer Chu Ishikawa. Unending rain echoes in every scene and foreboding strings alternate the mood from morose to morbid, yet there's always a calming satisfaction from the violins. Percussive tribalistic music heavy with the sounds of clanging metal enhances the tense scenes of violence and operatic tones waft through the more surrealistic segments.

With disturbing imagery reminiscent of David Lynch's Eraserhead (but with more meaningful parallels and less unexplained randomness), A Snake of June is a brilliant examination of voyeurism, buried desires, and suppressed passion through the looking glass of a twisted genius. Tsukamoto again proves he is the master of the sadistically surreal and has long since passed his American counterparts in both style and presentation.

- Joel Massie

Short-haired, bespectacled Rinko works at a suicide prevention hotline talking with individuals who have given up on life, but who are seeking help in order to find a reason why to keep on living. One day a pornographer calls her, and through her advice decides to keep on living. However, instead of just giving her his thanks, the man becomes completely obsessed with her, taking numerous pictures of Rinko during her most private moments. One day Rinko receives an envelope with the caption "Your Husband's Secret" which contains photographs of Rinko masturbating. Soon after being shocked by the photos, Rinko receives a phone call from the pornographer. Refusing to listen to his demands, Rinko tries to ignore the man, but envelopes of pictures continue to arrive in the mail, including a set which depicts Rinko, making herself a very short dress and putting on make up. Two things that her neat freak, middle-aged husband, Shigehiko, would never aprove of.

Determined to get back the pictures, Rinko listens to the pornographer's demands: to go out in public in her mini-skirt and purchase a dildo.

This of course is just the beginning of the film. The viewer gains a good glimpse of the personalities of both Rinko and Shigehiko through the prying eye of the pornographer.

The film is completely in black and white which makes the film seedier. There are some really surreal scenes, and a few surprises.

alot of people have expressed dissatisfaction for this film, i feel maybe its because the people compare this to his other works a little too rash, but maybe not. shinya tsukamoto is one of of my top favorite directors & i found this film to be quite a pleasureable film experience (though often throughout the film you cant tell whether the characters pleasure or disquietude; i think thats what i enjoyed the most). the cinematography is bliss; a grand blue tinted b/w & plenty of rain to fit the mood. i enjoyed the three central characters as well, finding tsukamoto's character, iguchi, to be my favorite. perhaps because he is the most complex character throughout the film. sure, his "personal & devestating" secret is revealed towards the film's conclusion, but even that aside, you never really pick up upon what is really driving his behavior and actions towards tatsumi. a logical person would maybe identify a sense of sadomasochism, but i like to think deeper than that, almost as if through this "sadism" he is freeing her from a life she thinks she wants, but in her heart, knows she doesnt.

i think maybe viewers were approaching this one more logically because it was less abstract than, say the tetsuo films, or even vital. it focused more on what could be a realistic situation and often a cliche in mystery films(the married couple who's life is shattered by a voyeaur's constant prowl/spy)which did not end like a cliche mystery would, but then again, tsukamoto never really presents this film as a mystery, to me it seems more like a symblism used through urban lore about someone who has lost hope in himself and attempted to, in his own point of view, try and restore hope to the person who helped him find his again, or so it may seem...

i honestly find it hard(& innapropriate) to summarize snake of june or any of tsukamoto's films like an elementary schoolkid would on some book report, so all i can say is that though this is not a good place to start in viewing tsukamoto's films, it is a still a worthy watch, especially if you are already a fan of tsukamoto, or are just open to watching something completly different.

A Snake of June (Shinya Tsukamoto, 2002)

There are those, and they are legion, who find those of us who contend that the Japanese simply make better movies overall than the Americans these days are just some sort of film snobs with a fetish for foreignness. I would answer that those people should, as just one example of what I'm talking about, take A Snake of June and hold it up against any American sexual psychodrama of the past twenty years (and, come to think of it, the only one I can really find to compare it to is Jane Campion's woefully terrible In the Cut). The simple fact of the matter is that Americans, whether it be filmmakers themselves or the studios who distribute the films, simply aren't capable of coming up with stuff like this. It's just not in our nature or something.

The tale follows Iguchi (Shinya Tsukamoto), who begins as a suicidal photographer. He calls a suicide hotline and is talked out of killing himself by Rinko (Asuka Kurosawa). He grows obsessed with her and her husband Shigehiko (Yuji Kohtari) and begins stalking them, setting in motion events that will take all three on journeys of self-revelation.

That's a woefully incomplete synopsis, but little revelations (such as why Iguchi was suicidal in the first place, and how he makes his presence known to Rinko) pop up sporadically throughout the film that ripple into the greater revelations, and so pretty much everything in the film after the first ten minutes or so is a spoiler. All I can do is say "trust me, the plot's taken care of." And it's a fine plot, if a bit impressionist (this should be no surprise to those who are already familiar with Tsukamoto's work). The actors are very good at what they do, and all the other technical details are nicely done. But what makes this film so compelling is, of course, Shinya Tsukamoto's vision, both literally and figuratively. Figuratively because it's hard to imagine, here in America, that films can still be this deliciously shocking; literally because Kaijyu Theater films have a certain look to them. Shinya Tsukamoto has gotten away from the biotechnological obsessions of his earlier films, but he has retained much of the visual style that made Tetsuo such a nightmarish experience; years of practice, of course, have honed it somewhat, and toning down the subject matter brings the visual style a bit more into focus. It's a kind of blend of the Hong Kong martial arts flick and Polanski's Knife in the Water, if that makes any sense.

This is very, very good stuff, and well worth tracking down. ****

One of the great things about A Snake of June is the use of the blue lens/filter through which this black and white film was shot. As the cinematographer explains in one of the two excellent extra featurettes that come with the DVD, the blue was used to give the feeling of water. June is the rainy month in Japan and just like in the film Seven, it rains throughout the entire film.

The combination of the blue tint/tinge, the rain, and the growing eroticism should have resulted in a building of intensity, which did take place in Tsukamoto (the director)'s films Iron Man and Body Hammer. But the problem in A Snake of June is that once a certain degree of intensity is reached, there is not much more that can be done. So the film, while not floundering, does not really leave the viewer satisfied, so to speak, once about the midpoint has come and gone.

Even though Rinko, the female protagonist, does become sexier past that midpoint mark, the intensity that is piled on--among other things, using a surreal peep show that kind of bursts into view out of the blue (so to speak)--does not really add anything. In fact, the peep show and the appearance of an appendage that definitely recalls Iron Man seem much more forced and tacked on here than similar events do in either Iron Man or Body Hammer (the Iron Man sequel).

Tsukamoto himself has a leading role in this film; he's the stalker that galvanizes the action, the catalyst that transforms Rinko from a shy social worker into a walking object of pleasure. Her husband sleeps on a couch, typically, and this for a woman can be frustrating, just like it would for a man if his wife did the same thing.

It would have been a much better film if there had been a stronger emphasis on Rinko's psychology. In Iron Man and Body Hammer, there was no need to focus on these internal elements because the external ones of flesh becoming metal were so bizarre that there was no need for an internal focus. But in A Snake of June, Tsukamoto turns his intent and attention inward, or tries to, but he doesn't go far enough.

This should have been a much better film that it is.

Wow. This is a powerful movie. I've always been a fan of Shinya Tsukamoto's films (TETSUO : THE IRON MAN and NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE) but this movie is something else. His films are all very strange, very interesting and very absorbing in nature. I was exposed to Tsukamoto at a pretty young age with TETSUO and to say it had a lasting impression on me is an understatement.

A SNAKE OF JUNE is yet another wonderful film addition to his already incredible library of movies he's directed. I had always wanted to see this film but wasn't given a chance until recently, when I bought it from Amazon. Long after the movie was over, I kept thinking about the subject matter and the underlying tones in the film. A SNAKE OF JUNE is the type of movie that comes along and makes you think about your own personal life.

The movie itself is filmed in an entirely blue camera lens (or maybe they filmed it in black and white, coloring it blue afterwards) which gives the movie a very cold and desolate feeling. It seems like its always raining in the movie, which I'm sure is another underlying tone to the over all film.

The story itself has a very Cronenberg feel, with it's strong sexual over tones and basic plot. The story concerns a young married woman (who works for a suicide phone line) and her work obsessed husband. He also happens to be a neat freak to boot. The character studies between these two are very interesting, if not a tad bit obvious. The woman in this story is rather repressed sexually by her husband and his obsession with being clean all the time just adds to the pent up tension between the two.

Meanwhile, our main female character helps a man at her job, on the suicide help line. This turns out to be a mistake (at first) because he eventually stalks and photographs her during a more "private" moment at home, when her husband is at work. Things start to take a turn for the worst as her mystery caller demands that she does his bidding, otherwise he'll turn over the photo's that he has to her husband. The movie then spirals out of control as our main character dives into a world of personal lust and hidden sexual urges.

I won't say anymore at the risk of spoiling the movie for some. A SNAKE OF JUNE is Shinya Tsukamoto's most straight forward movie and yet, it's also on the same level as TETSUO : IRON MAN in terms of execution. Parts of the movie feel surreal, while other moments have the heart and warmth of any outstanding epic.

The bottom line, this is an amazing and interesting movie. It's not my favorite film Shinya Tsukamoto has directed (that would go to NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE), but it's definitely a strong movie never the less. The story and the message of the movie leave lasting impressions. The over all execution is truly a work of art.

Gore Hounds, skip it. Outside of some weird scenes and the blue lens, this movie is purely psychological and not really scary. Then again, it's not meant to be. A SNAKE OF JUNE is a beautiful and haunting movie and nothing more. It's a movie that deserves more recognition that it gets. Enough said.

Over and out.

Behind a flood of oddity and images, we see a woman that desperately longs to find herself. She has become something of an invisible persona, after all, living with a husband that does not notice her any more. Along with that, she also has something that is doing something to her, making her wonder if there really is beauty left inside her or not. This leads her to do things, more and more on the voyeuristic side of the fence, with someone leading her to push things even further. Then her husband finds some push and, amidst everything, the changes begin to take root.

When I first saw A Snake of June, I did not know what to think of it. It had a lot of visuals and a lot of expressions hidden inside of it, but the main themes were also really compelling. Here you have a family that has become a routine and a routine alone, and this seems to sit with the wife in a bad way. The husband seems to find himself needing more as well, and this brings about something that starts a transition. The transition is sexual, deviant, and embarassingly enjoyable to watch, not to mention strange in a not-so-subtle way.
Add this to the great acting and the idea behind it all and you have a grand thing that is easily missed.

Should you get this? Depends on your idea of good cinema. You like nudity and you like torment as well? Then you will enjoy this. It isn't a bad thing in either way, just a thing that has a place in the film.
Watching it, I was happy with the placement of all the angles taken, knowing that a circle cannot be made if the corners are not shaped correctly.

El universo cinematográfico de Shinya Tsukamato se vuelca de lleno en "Una serpiente de junio" donde la sensualidad, la electrónica generadora de cyborgs, erotísmo, paraonia y esquizofrenia dan lugar a una obra compleja llena de atmósfera y suspenso.
Del mismo director de "Tetsuo, el hombre de hierro" y con la joven revelación plena de belleza y sensualidad Asuka Kurosawa.
Una obra de culto más de su realizador.
Con una trama más sencilla que el resto su de su filmografía, pero más efectiva dentro de la generación de realizadores del llamado Terror Oriental.

Great cinematography

Weak repressed characters

I turned it off to take a piss which was far more pleasing.

I do not know if this director is related to Akira or not since the last name is same but the movie is very mediocore - but I was used to watching Passolini so this cannotr really hold my attention -
Rinko , the primary charaster has tried her best but direction fails her - photography could have been so much better considering this is black and white only. The scope of work is so much more in black and white frames -