FFFA: Love Exposure

Ai no mukidashi (愛のむきだし)

“Love Exposure is, in a sense, Sion Sono's equivalent of the Great Russian novel.” – Simon Abrams, Slant Magazine

A Japanese ‘eroto-theosophical’ answer to the avant-garde films of Alejandro Jodorowsky, Love Exposure follows Yu, a teenage master of upskirt photography who, disguised as a woman as a dare, kisses his crush, Yoko, leading them both into a world of cults, crime, sexual discovery and Catholic guilt.  

Sion Sono’s cult epic explores converging themes of religion, love and perversion in one wacky masterpiece.  A hilarious and surreal Romeo and Juliet story, Love Exposure defies genre classification, blending romance, comedy, kung-fu action and gore, while remaining completely captivating for all four hours of its runtime. 

Festival Appearances/Awards
Berlin International Film Festival 2009 – Winner
FIPRESCI Prize & Caligari Film Award Fantasia Film Festival 2009 – Winner
Special Jury Prize, Best Asian Film & Best Female Performance

Rating

MA15+

Duration

237 min

Country

Japan

Language

Japanese (English subtitles)

Cast

Takahiro Nishijima, Hikari Mitsushima, Sakura Ando, Yutaka Shimizu, Makiko Watanabe

Director

Sion Sono

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