The third chapter in avante garde Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono’s so-called “Hate” trilogy of films, that began with 2008′s Love Exposure and continued with 2010’s Cold Fish, Guilty of Romance (恋の罪) is undoubtedly one that will divide audiences. Thanks to Nippon Films on YouTube, there is now a trailer for this new film.
We had the pleasure of catching this film at the Melbourne International Film Festival this year, and “quirky” is a apt way of describing this trailer and the film generally. When police detective Kazuko (Miki Mizuno,Castle Under Fiery Skies) uncovers a brutally murdered body at the love hotel district of Tokyo, she also uncovers a complex tale of eroticism and repression involving Izumi (Megumi Kagurazaka, Cold Fish), the restrained housewife of a famous novelist on the verge of sexual liberation, and Mitsuko (Makoto Togashi, A Symmetry), a university professor with daddy issues who leads a double-life as a street hooker. Check out our full review.
Fans of Sono will already be familiar with his over-the-top and brightly coloured view of the world, with bright pink paint being just one of the motifs throughout the film. Despite massive amounts of sex and chaos, Guilty of Romance is a more restrained, albeit unmistakably powerful, effort from Sono.
Guilty of Romance was released at the 2011 Melbourne International Film Festival earlier this year. It will also play at the Sydney Underground Film Festival, which runs from 8 to 11 September 2011 at The Factory Theatre, Sydney College of the Arts and the MuMeson Archives.
