{"id":765,"date":"2009-10-04T23:33:07","date_gmt":"2009-10-04T22:33:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/?p=765"},"modified":"2010-02-18T23:35:57","modified_gmt":"2010-02-18T22:35:57","slug":"love-exposure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2009\/10\/04\/love-exposure\/","title":{"rendered":"Love Exposure"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\"Love<\/a><\/p>\n

\nFormat:<\/B> Cinema

\nDate:<\/B> 30 October 2009

\nVenue:<\/B> ICA Cinema, London

\nDirector:<\/B> Sion Sono

\nWriter:<\/B> Sion Sono

\nOriginal title:<\/B> Ai no mukidashi

\nCast:<\/B> Takahiro Nishijima, Hikari Mitsushima

\nJapan 2008

\n237 mins\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n ‘Love, the greatest thing of them all. If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal’. We’re three quarters of the way through Sion Sono’s Love Exposure<\/I>, Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony is soaring and the beautiful Yoko is reciting Corinthians 13 to her star-crossed lover, tears rolling down her young cheeks. This beautiful moment of epiphany might not be what you’d expect from Sono - after all, his biggest commercial hit to date opened with the gory mass suicide of 54 teenage schoolgirls - but it is just one of many spiritual milestones in an incredible odyssey of self-realisations. Madcap scenes of sex and violence still drive the action but there is an underlying simplicity in the film’s message. For all its blood-spattered school uniforms and endless crotch shots, the film is, at heart, an elevating hymn to the redemptive power of love. <\/p>\n

\nBut as the old adage goes, the course of true love never did run smooth. Especially when you throw mistaken identities and a huge dose of religious guilt into the mix. In fact, this particular bumpy ride lasts a full four hours. Perfectly careering from cartoony farce to serious drama, Love Exposure<\/I> traces the relationship between Yu, ‘a high school voyeuristic photo maniac’, and Yoko, a man-hating whirlwind of teenage angst. The couple first meet when Yu, a champion in the art of tosatsu (the pastime of surreptitiously photographing up girls’ skirts), is performing a forfeit by dressing up as a woman and Yoko is single-handedly beating up a pack of male thugs. This love story, tortuous enough from the outset, is further complicated by the forbidden romantic relationship between Yu’s father, a Roman Catholic priest, and Yoko’s stepmother, a hysterical mini-skirted banshee. An added spanner in the works comes in the form of Koike, a teenage recruiter for the sinister Christian cult, the Zero Church. Shots of crucifixes, erections and knife-toting school girls quickly ensue. When the opening credits tell us the film is ‘based on a true account’, we can only assume Sono is joking. <\/p>\n

\n And yet, while Love Exposure<\/I> creates a magnificently alien universe, there is a truth in the characters and their relationships that keeps us gripped despite the film’s marathon length. Yu’s story of self-discovery - from his childish desire to rebel against his father, his initially sexless curiosity about sin, his adolescent lust and his final mature understanding of love - has a universal quality to it. Indeed, as all the characters undergo their own personal transformations, the film takes on an epic, biblical quality. With both Catholicism and the Zero Church attempting to assert oppressive moral standards, the film raises interesting questions about faith, honesty and definitions of normality and perversity. A little like John Waters in his strange combination of grotesque obscenity and wholesome innocence, Sono creates an idealistic world where love sees past the superficial: perversions are accepted and celebrated. As Yu says to Yoko, ‘You’re definitely a misfit and I can live with that’. Given the shock factor of some of the images, it is to be hoped that audiences can too. <\/p>\n

Eleanor McKeown<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n

Love Exposure<\/i> is availabe on DVD in the UK from Third Window from January 25. <\/p>\n

Buy Love Exposure (2 discs) [DVD] [2007]<\/a>\"\" from Amazon<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For all its blood-spattered school uniforms and endless crotch shots, the film is, at heart, an elevating hymn to the redemptive power of love.
\nReview by Eleanor McKeown<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11,1,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-check-it-out","category-cinema-releases","category-dvds-and-blu-rays"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","wps_subtitle":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/purUP-cl","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3413,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2013\/08\/15\/the-land-of-hope\/","url_meta":{"origin":765,"position":0},"title":"The Land of Hope","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"August 15, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The latest offering from Sion Sono is a slight departure from his usual extremes. Review by Robert Makin","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Land of Hope","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/The-Land-of-Hope-594x291.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/The-Land-of-Hope-594x291.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/The-Land-of-Hope-594x291.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6668,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2016\/11\/10\/anti-porno\/","url_meta":{"origin":765,"position":1},"title":"Anti-Porno","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"November 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Sion Sono diverts Nikkatsu\u2019s Roman Porno Reboot into a subversively playful and multi-layered take on the female condition. Review by Pierre Kapitaniak","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"anti-porno","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Anti-Porno-594x396.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Anti-Porno-594x396.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Anti-Porno-594x396.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5991,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2015\/10\/19\/tag\/","url_meta":{"origin":765,"position":2},"title":"Tag","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"October 19, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It's one of the six films that Sion Sono shot this year, yet neither the five low-budget films nor the short TV serial that preceded Tag hold a candle to it. Review by Pierre Kapitaniak","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"TAG","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/TAG-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/TAG-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/TAG-594x334.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2268,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2012\/04\/11\/himizu\/","url_meta":{"origin":765,"position":3},"title":"Himizu","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"April 11, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Located in the midst of the devastation in the aftermath of the tsunami of 2011, Sion Sono's latest shows a society that is not only physically destroyed but also socially falling to pieces. Review by John Bleasdale","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/review_Himizu-594x395.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/review_Himizu-594x395.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/review_Himizu-594x395.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5186,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/11\/06\/tokyo-tribe\/","url_meta":{"origin":765,"position":4},"title":"Tokyo Tribe","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"November 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Sion Sono\u2019s manga-based gangsta musical is great fun although not entirely palatable. Review by Mark Stafford","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tokyo Tribe","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Tokyo-Tribe-594x399.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Tokyo-Tribe-594x399.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Tokyo-Tribe-594x399.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1602,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2011\/04\/04\/cold-fish\/","url_meta":{"origin":765,"position":5},"title":"Cold Fish","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"April 4, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Cold Fish seems to be a return to the dark spirit of Suicide Club (2001), with its provocative, inventive gore and an enigmatic, oblique approach to meaning. Review by Virginie S\u00e9lavy","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/review_Cold_Fish-594x395.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/review_Cold_Fish-594x395.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/review_Cold_Fish-594x395.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=765"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":959,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765\/revisions\/959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}