(2002/JAPAN)
REVIEWED BY-STEVE GENIER DIRECTED BY-SHINYA TSUKAMOTO CAST-ASUKA KUROSAWA, YUJI KOHTORI, SHINYA TSUKAMOTO, MANSAKU FUWA, TOMOKO MATSUMOTO and TOMOROWO TAGUCHI. SOURCE-TARTAN FILMS (US) NTSC R1 DVD (2005)
Rinko is a social worker who mans the help lines. Her married life is pretty much non-existent as her husband Shigehiko doesn’t even share their bed anymore. One day, Rinko’s life becomes thrown into shreds as a mysterious envelop containing pictures exposing her deep desires as a women. Something only she had played in her own privacy, but now someone has invaded that. That someone is a client she helped with, a photographer named Iguchi who was on the verge of suicide. Claiming that she saved his life, and that she encouraged him to do anything. That anything was to exploit Rinko’s desires. With the upper hand, Iguchi blackmails her into carrying out her desires in the general public in turn she would get the negatives of the photos Iguchi has taken of her.
She carries out his instructions, but finding it very embarrassing and humiliating in the process. She finishes his game and is rewarded with negatives. That would not be the end though as Iguchi forgets to give her one last remaining negative, but by then Rinko’s transition has already began. As this game furthers, there are many other hidden secrets that are unveiled. As in the beginning Rinko viewed Iguchi as an evil stalker, but as she becomes more confident with her sexuality , she blossoms into a whole new person. Then Iguchi decides to further the ante and involve Rinko’s husband, Shigehiko. Like Rinko, Iguchi stresses that Shigehiko must address Rinko’s needs as a women and a wife, showing him in the most extreme ways.
Like BULLET BALLET, director Shinya Tsukamoto explores and exploits the human condition and how easy it is to change of alter it with the simplest of elements as a photo. Taking a situation and like a negative, he blows it up to the point where realism meets surrealism. Films in glorious black and white on color stock which gives it a slight blue tone throughout the whole film. This is only heightened by both the lighting and the scenery as well. Raining from start to finish, there must of been at least a year’s worth of water covering the sets. A SNAKE OF JUNE is just another great example of how Tsukamoto being an independent film maker of the truest sense. Having almost complete control on the film’s entire production including the film’s production duration. Control that also guides him in directing not only himself as an actor, but the rest of the cast as well. It’s not very often where you can create a situation such as having your main actor walking around a mall with a vibrator intact, at least giving us the notion of it.
The main cast is primarily that of Asuka Kurosawa who plays the lead of Rinko, Yuji Kohtori who play’s Rinko’s husband Shigehiko and of course none other then Tsukamoto himself as Iguchi, the photographer/stalker. All three work off each other with complete professionalism, displaying a true feeling of mocked realism. Especially that of Asuka Kurosawa, who being quite sexy in an innocent sense, gives us complete performance that will be hard to top. Plagued with situations that would be very hard for a lot of actors, she pulls them off in the most convincing ways. Like mentioned above, her scene where she must drop her panties while wearing an extremely short leather skirt and then walking around a mall while wearing a vibrator. Of course that is not all, having to visually convince the audience when the vibrator is activated was a great feat all in it’s self. She is certainly one to keep an eye out for in her young career. Tsukamoto, who once again plays an oddball character, does a wonderful job as well. His ability to get under your skin, yet keeping this surreal sanity if you will intact. Almost like Dr.Frankenstein in the midst of creating his monster.
Though this is not Tsukamoto’s most complete pieces to date, it does however display his continuing ability to grow as not only a director, but as an actor as well. A SNAKE OF JUNE echoes that of his BULLET BALLET in many ways, of course the filming in black and white, but also his look at the break down or exploitation of a human condition or many of them. Never straying away from the film’s main focus point, he builds on it until there is no realism left to convey. This is when Tsukamoto’s tweaks your mind with throwing in his usual surrealistic touches. No worries there, as once again, no matter how weird the film gets you never lose interest at all. In fact, you tend to gain more as you wonder in awe as to where he gets these ideas. Ah, but that is the bonus about many of Tsukamoto’s films, and why he has inspired so many other directors.
The new Tartan Films US DVD release is wonderful in every way. Presented in anamorphic wide screen, Tsukamoto had originally wanted to directed this in a square framing ratio, good thing he didn’t. The audio is in Japanese 2.0 or 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound with removable English or Spanish subtitles. The extras include two featurettes, one that deals with the behind the scenes of the film’s acting. Included are interviews with the three main cast members including director Tsukamoto. The other featurette deals with the technical side of filming A SNAKE IN JUNE. There is also trailers for other Tartan releases include that of the trailer for A SNAKE IN JUNE. All present very professionally and well worth the pick up for fans of this prolific Japanese director.
STORY/FILM-4 BITCH SLAPS PICTURE-4 BITCH SLAPS AUDIO-4 BITCH SLAPS EXTRAS-3.5 BITCH SLAPS OVERALL DVD-3.5 BITCH SLAPS
