Customer Reviews

Tokyo Decameron: Three Tales of Madness and Sensuality

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

 

 

This film is, firstly, very well done. However, you should be forewarned that there is an uncomfortable level of brutality portrayed. While the physical portrayals of the violence and/or promiscuity are less graphic than I have seen in "R" rated films, it is the mental and emotional subjugaton, along with abuse, that is unsettling. What makes this especially unnerving is the productions refusal to take sides in what is being portrayed. The characters are neither right or wrong in their behavior.
This is why I rated it four stars. While I rather doubt it was the intention of the producers, this film forced me to look at things in a way I hadn't before. A prime example of this is from the first part of "Decamaron" in which a woman who's very attracted to a man (who's very attrached to her) tells him that if he loves her he will continue with a savage beating she receiving at the hands of another. There is a terrible prolonged moment as this guy teeters between giving the woman he loves what she wants and savagely whipping the woman he loves with a riding crop.
The entire tenure of this film runs along these lines. There is some fascinating camera work with light to add more of a depth than might otherwise be there. Just be ready, this is not like some late sixties/early seventies Marquis de Sade knock off, this is an assualt

The second of the two tales on this disc is the one that is the most interesting. "two women named Mako" reminds me of Shakespere's quote "all the world is a stage and the people its players.". I don't want to ruin the movie for you if you haven't seen it, but by the end, you'll understand why the saying "in a true BDSM relationship the sub has all the power" exists. If you don't understand why certain people in your life allow others to treat them like they do, this might help you understand.

This movie had an excellant chance to display it's female cast in all their Asian wonders. Some of the more interesting moments in this movie are down played by a lack of a correct camera angle or plot development. The "Rose Holder" is one that could have been something more than it was. Yet you see nothing that would make you believe that it was erotic. I love Asian movies but this one is not one to be added to anyone's collection.