In 1976, when Nagisa Oshima's ``In the Realm of the Senses'' was released in America, it caused a firestorm of censorship and controversy because of its mix of explicit sex and brilliant storytelling. Twenty-four years later, Nagisa Oshima's film is still one of the most controversial films to have ever been completed. Widely banned when it was first released, In the Realm of the Senses was seen by few viewers during its initial theatrical run, and its extremely explicit nature ensured that it would languish in obscurity for many more years to follow. Fox Lorber's DVD release of this unusual and challenging film might finally give it the audience it deserves.

Ironically, none of Oshima's later films, including the David Bowie vehicle "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence", lived up to the promise of In The Realm of The Senses. But given its intense nature, it's a hard act to follow.

The film centers on the relationship between a married man, Kichi (Eiko Matsuda), and a prostitute, Sada (Tatsuya Fuji). What begins as a normal affair turns into something infinitely more disturbing, as the two begin to spend every waking hour in a variety of sexual acts that grow progressively darker. A powerful study of obsession and repression, In the Realm of the Senses unflinchingly follows the couple as their relationship intensifies from frivolity to intensity to madness.

Although most who are familiar with this film know it as the film where the cast actually have sex, the film is much more than a series of sexual acts. Their encounters are an integral element of the story, as it becomes more and more apparent that Sada and Kichi are desperately attempting to escape their harsh constraints of their lives by unleashing their fantasies. And though the film initially portrays a tolerant, permissive society, the other characters in the film are actually so repressed that they pretend that the sex they see happening before their eyes simply isn't happening.

What makes this film so disturbing is that it eliminates the distinction between acting and reality. The protagonists go at it so naturally that the reality of their sexual exploits feeds the idea that the whole film is real. And the film continually pushes the viewer as things intensify and go down the paths of sado-masochism and erotic asphyxiation, and Fuji and Matsuda's encounters adopt a compulsive, ritualistic quality.

Filled with clinical and detached shots of Fuji and Matsuda's sexual encounters, even as their exploits become more daring and physically dangerous, In the Realm of the Senses transcends mere eroticism as it forces you to watch these two unravel in their obsession. It isn't everyone's cup of tea; however, as a study of obsession, sexual or otherwise, it's a standout piece of work. Disturbing rather than titillating, it's a film well worth watching.

Notes

IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES: Drama. Starring Tatsuya Fuji and Eiko Matsuda. Directed and written by Nagisa Oshima. NC-17. 104 minutes. In Japanese with English subtitles. Out now on Fox Lorber.