The Woman With Red Hair

I can't seem to find a storyline in this mess.

Roman Porno by Kumashiro, (Street of Joy, Woods Are Wet) starring Junko Miyashita, (A Woman Called Sada Abe, Gate of Flesh, Watcher in the Attic) and Renji Ishibashi, (Whispering of the Gods, Audition) - two actors who went on to great success in many genres. This focuses on their mutually debasing relationship and a minor parallel one. Like Street of Joy, it contains several small vignettes which largely center on the genre-mandatory sex. But as usual, the fulfillment of the technically required coupling leaves the director free to make of the film whatever is most interesting. Some viewers may not like the despair and nihilism onscreen, if seeking Orientalist exploitation - or just something more explicit. Those unfamiliar should not expect much in the way of graphic nudity, rather this emphasizes creative ways of avoiding much beyond toplessness. It is, however, incredibly smutty by intent. Male-female relations are depicted as bleakly as possible, with a darkly satiric bent which effectively subverts any possible audience expectation of voyeurism or escapist thrills. It's no Ai no corrida/In the Realm of the Senses, but like it and the Sada Abe story, it takes the core dynamic to a lesser extreme. Despite budgetary limitations, there are many beautifully composed shots of absurdly inept and uncooperative fornication. A slippery slide on a sudsy inflatable mattress, awkward mounting of an unwilling male, etc. If you're in the mood for a brief but grimly amusing look at some intimately observed relationships that are definitely problematic, this may be right for you.

Yes, "pinku" (roman porno) Japanese cinema has in this film one of its highlights. It's great to see the strong and impressive association between the softy and fine female star and the primary working class macho. This is a real 70's movie, impossible to make today, as it would be considered politically wrong.

Une belle actrice, une belle lumiere, et beaucoup de fantasmes et tabous made in Japan ne suffisent pas a faire un grand film!

Bof moyen...on ne comprend pas trop ou ca s'en va, les personnages sont des caricatures sans profondeur et les scenes torrides plutot grotesques.