The story of Japanese prostitute Sada Abe's 1936 arrest for strangling and cutting off the penis of her lover has been the subject of three films: Nagisa Oshima's In the Realm of the Senses, Noboru Tanaka's lesser-known A Woman Called Sada Abe, and this 1998 production from Nobuhiko Obayashi. Sada omits the sexual explicitness of the Oshima film, but it also lacks the humanity of the Tanaka version (the films were made roughly at the same time). Instead, this is a straightforward retelling that offers more background on the title character's tragic youth and the events that lead up to her fatal liaison. Raped at the age of 14, Sada later descended into a life of prostitution before taking an obsessive lover with a passion for kinky sex. Hitomi Kuroki gives a beautifully textured performance as Sada and Obayashi attempts to put her actions into the context of Japanese society in the 1930s, with its growing militarism and the suppression of women's rights (it is not surprising that Sada was vigorously prosecuted by the law but was viewed as a heroine by many Japanese women). One wishes the film could have pursued Sada's story further, however--she served four years in jail, then took an alias and married, but was divorced by the time her husband discovered her true identity (and later played herself in several productions based on her life). Sada disappeared after 1970, and her fate is unknown (she would be 99 if still alive). Inexplicably presented in a full-frame version (rather than widescreen), Sada--which boasts a fine transfer and a handful of text extras--is an optional purchase. (P. Hall)
Sada
Home Vision, 132 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $19.95 Volume 19, Issue 6
Sada
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: