Brokeback Fuji

Film: Gohatto (Taboo)
Format: DVD from NetFlix on rockin’ flatscreen.

The List takes me to some pretty odd places. This is okay, because I tend to like odd places. Gohatto (Taboo) combines two words that I didn’t expect to see in the same place. Those two words are “gay” and “samurai.” I have no idea of the historical accuracy of this film in how it depicts this relationship; sam-sex couples here are viewed with some distance but no real animosity.

It is a time of war and a militia is looking for new recruits. At a particular dojo, two men are selected. Hyozo Tashiro (Tadanobu Asano) and Sozaburo Kano (Ryuhei Matsuda) are the two selected, and Kano is chosen to perform an execution the next day. It’s also evident that there is a great deal of attraction between these two new recruits. In particular, Tashiro has determined that he is in love with the younger, effeminate-looking man. Kano seems initially antagonistic to this relationship but eventually acquiesces to it.

The Internet is for Porn

Film: Ai no Corrida (In the Realm of the Senses)
Format: Streaming video from Hulu+ on laptop.

I knew that Ai no Corrida (In the Realm of the Sense) contained explicit sex before I watched it. That was pretty much all I knew about the film. What I didn’t realize was that this one is pretty much exclusively about sex and that “explicit sex” has multiple possible meanings. If you’re curious, Ai no Corrida covers pretty much every possible meaning of explicit sexuality you can likely think of.

It’s tempting to say that Ai no Corrida is surprising in its frank depiction of sexuality for the time in which it was made, but that would be a lie. The truth is that it’s surprising in its sexuality for any time—it would be no less startling in this respect were it made today. Within the first 20 minutes, we see penetrative sex, flaccid and erect penii (the one and only proper plural for “penis”) and non-simulated fellatio. Charges that this film is little more than pornography certainly make much more sense in this light. Again, I knew that there were non-simulated sex acts in this film. What I did not expect was that they would be completely undisguised. There is no way to mistake what is happening here. There is no pan up to focus on the actor’s face or action obscured by a conveniently placed blanket. No, this is actual sex. Seriously, we get close-ups and “money shots” and everything you’d expect from the Playboy Channel.