New Tokyo Decadence – The Slave (Release info: see S&M Hunter)

I must confess, I was totally unprepared for this movie. And no, not just regarding how explicit it is (although it can be argued that every time it is, it’s for a reason in addition to mere titillation)... but regarding how accomplished in fact it is. This is no weird camp-fest like S&M Hunter, but rather a serious-minded, autobiographical tale that just happens to feature some form of sex every few minutes. To put it simply, the script hits few, if any, false notes, the direction is impressive, and the editing is razor-sharp.

With help from these ingredients, the cumbersomely-titled New Tokyo Decadence – The Slave fits more sheer story, ideas, and emotions into its meager 61-minute running time than most full-length features of any genre. Artistic in the best sense—its opening and closing shots are upsetting and lyrical at the same time—Osamu Sato’s 2007 film is not self-consciously artsy like Exposed. The budget couldn’t have been much, but you’d never know it because there’s not an air of cheapness about anything, from the design of the interiors to the cinematography, to the few carefully chosen and effective exteriors.

The plot is fairly straightforward: pretty young thing realizes early on in life that she’s a masochist—a fact that we learn through her upbeat voice-over—then must organize her existence around the demands that such a lifestyle makes.

Through it all, star Rinako Hirasawa’s fresh, honest, and strangely innocent personality almost makes her sound as if she’s a mainstream anime heroine—which makes for a striking contrast with all the heady sex. Along the way she meets the perfect “master” to her “slave” (although, as she points out, she’s a highly effective sadist herself because she knows from experience what pleases masochists). On the surface, then, the central story seems to share much with Secretary, which also featured taboo workplace shenanigans. But also like that film, New Tokyo Decadence – The Slave gradually shifts into a full-fledged love story as our heroine must choose between the dictates of her body and her heart as the opportunity for a “square” marriage also presents itself.

So if it helps, consider this film a perved-up but highly engaging version of Bridget Jones’s Diary. The most amazing thing about it, however, is that somehow, in the midst of all its flamboyant raunchiness, there are moments where true intimacy is evoked. Indeed, these are much more effective than the sex scenes in Hollywood movies that share the same goal. By eschewing formulaic, glossed-up couplings in which everyone is discreetly semi-clothed and bathed in wonderful lighting and orchestral lushness, Sato returns sex to the real world, as clichéd as that may sound. So if “adult film” didn’t already signify a euphemism for hardcore pornos, then New Tokyo Decadence – The Slave, which is several notches below them in terms of graphic content, would be perfect for that label. In short, a thinking person’s sex film.