Another film from Japan and further astonishment. This begins in the 70's with a radical group's charismatic leader in jail. We get a notion of the anti Vietnam war movement in Japan and understand this group is part of the anti war movement. The leader sends word that his crazy girlfriend is to run the group till he gets out and things do not go according to plan! She gets the group to rob others and f*** her and whilst everyone sits around in between time eating noodles, smoking, drinking and complaining, nothing much else gets done. Halfway through the film there is some in fighting and they all go up into the hills, at which point some terrible violence ensues until there is nobody left alive. There is time for more sex in between kicking, castration, beheading and blasting with a double barrel shotgun but the emphasis is upon relentless appalling bloody violence. Very difficult last half and with so much Japanese symbolism hard to fully comprehend the intent but this doesn't seem a frivolous exercise and much care and attention has gone into the production. The crazy girlfriend gets harder and harder to take with her seeming pointless ruthlessness and manic laughter. Still she certainly gets it in the end!
Review of Kichiku dai enkai
