Tokyo Decadence (1992)

A submissive hooker goes about her trade, suffering abuse at the hands of Japanese salarymen and Yakuza types. She's unhappy about her work, and is apparently trying to find some sort of ... See full summary »

Director:

Ryû Murakami

Writers:

Ryû Murakami (book), Ryû Murakami (screenplay)

Stars:

Miho Nikaido, Yayoi Kusama, Sayoko Amano

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Miho Nikaido	...	Ai
Sayoko Amano	...	Saki
Tenmei Kano	...	Ishioka (Mr. Satoh)
Masahiko Shimada	...	Suzuki
Yayoi Kusama	...	Fortuneteller
Chie Sema	...	Opera Woman
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Magayasu Ishihara
Hiroshi Mikami
Nami Nosaki

Storyline

A submissive hooker goes about her trade, suffering abuse at the hands of Japanese salarymen and Yakuza types. She's unhappy about her work, and is apparently trying to find some sort of appeasement for the fact that her lover has married.

---

Plot Keywords:

bare breasts | dildo | heroin injection | female nudity | lesbianism | 

---

Taglines:

Erotic sex or dangerous fantasy?

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for strong, explicit, sado-masochistic sexuality

Did You Know?

Quotes

Mr. Ishioka: Bend down, your face means nothing to me.

---

Alternate Versions

For the german market, a 86 min. cut version with dubbed german audio is available on VHS and DVD. The version is censored, but still certificated FSK 18.

---

Connections

Referenced in Dark Angel: Boo (2001)

---

Soundtracks

Llegué Llegué / Guararey de Pastorita
(uncredited)
Performed by Los Van Van

User Reviews

subtlety is the power of this film!

Most films dealing with prostitution that I've seen have been very straight forward. In other words, the characters have been very loud, and to the point about what's going on in their heads. However, the lead character in Tokyo Decadence comes out differently than you might expect . In most films that portray prostitution as a hard and unsettling life, ( Whore, Leaving Las Vegas...) the main character is trying real hard to act like they enjoy what they're doing. But in Tokyo Decadence, it's quite the contrary, the lead character hardly says a word through the whole film. But you still learn so much from her expressions and way of dealing with the many different wack-job clients she has. (These include dominatrix, sadists, and necrophiles to name a few.) This is the first film like this where I've actually felt sympathy for the main character. She obviously has big dreams, presses forward to improve her situation in life constantly, only to be brought down by the degrating clientel she encounters every night. Overall, the acting is superb! As far as story is concerned, there is a serious lack of information given toward the middle of the movie. She keeps carrying around a picture of her with this guy, even going as far as buying expensive jewelry as good luck charms to get him back, ....but we don't know who he is, how she knows him, ..nothing. But despite, minor holes in the plot, the film never loses sight of the point it's trying to make. And as I said, subtlety is what makes this film powerful. It's what the characters aren't saying and showing that brings you closer to the film. One last note, the film DOES live up to it's NC-17 rating. But then again, most asian films do.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

30 April 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tokyo Decadence

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$277,845

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$277,845

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinemabrain, Japan Video Distribution (JVD) Co. Ltd., Melsat Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min 92 min (heavily cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1