Love Exposure

The course of true love does not run smoothly in Sion Sono's weird, frenetic, overlong but fascinating take on sex, familial dysfunction, and religion. Yû (Takahiro Nishijima) is a kid from a pious Catholic family whose father, Tetsu (Atsurô Watabe), becomes a priest after his wife's death—and then takes a mistress. Under pressure from Tetsu to confess sins—any sins—Yû becomes addicted to photographing women on the street from angles that reveal their panties and takes to dressing in drag himself. While in female guise he meets Yôko (Hikari Mitsushima), a schoolgirl who hates men and enjoys beating them up because she was sexually assaulted by her dad. Yu decides she's his soulmate, but his pursuit is naturally complicated by his real gender—as well as the fact that his father and her mother become romantically involved. Meanwhile Yu and Yôko are being observed by Aya (Sakura Andô), a manipulative girl who castrated her abusive father and then went on to form a cult called Church Zero. A mixture of martial-arts action, slapstick, blunt satire, dark comedy, explicit sex, and flashy violence, Love Exposure is more unsettling than funny, but there's an oddly innocent vibe to the film, which winds up as a story of two kids who come together despite being damaged by their families and society. For adventurous viewers, this is a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—Sept. 11, 2012—Olive, 237 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, not rated, $34.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2008's Love Exposure features a good transfer and Dolby TrueHD stereo sound, but no special features. Bottom line: an unremarkable Blu-ray debut for Sono's epic minor cult film.]