Hello kinky
>> Sasayaki explores the complex psyches
of two twisted teens

by CHRIS BARRY

Japanese schoolgirls, foot worship, teenage S&M—sounds like a film with all the makings of a first-rate bone-tingler. But don’t be misled, Sasayaki is much more psychodrama than erotic stroke flick. Shucks, there ain’t even any nudity in this movie. That said, celebrated upstart director Akihoki Shiota’s debut feature is beautifully filmed, with a stand-out performance by lead actress Tsugumi, for a teen romance picture that has more in common with The Story of O than She’s All That.

Adapted from a popular manga, it’s the story of two 17 year olds, Satsuki and Takuya (Kenji Mizuhashi), desperately in love but challenged somewhat by, among other things, the fact that Takuya would rather sniff his lover’s dirty socks and masturbate than make love to her in a more conventional manner. Go figure.

The film opens as the two meet at their kendo class, and quickly enter into what appears to be a rather typical teenage love affair. But that doesn’t last long. It turns out Takuya is a dedicated masochist with voyeuristic tendencies and a profound interest in Satsuki’s feet. And when our heroine innocently snoops around his bedroom prior to a lovemaking session, she discovers that he’s not only been stealing her knee socks, but photographing her surreptitiously and tape recording her bladder activities in his crapper to boot. Deeply hurt and confused, Satsuki furiously denounces poor Takuya as a pervert and promptly dumps him.

But true love cannot be denied for long, and after a persistent Takuya declares his heartfelt devotion to the girl and his intense desire to be her “obedient dog,” a complex sadomasochistic relationship gradually develops between them. Satsuki, equally compelled and disgusted by Takuya’s masochism, soon discovers that tormenting the poor boy is a lot more fun than she originally thought it might be—even if it’s messing with her a head a bit. As for the perpetually mopey Takuya, the nastier Satsuki gets the better. And deliciously nasty she gets. She locks him in her bedroom armoire and forces him to listen to her have sex with his best pal, she makes him lick her clean when they’re done, hell, at one point she even generously throws him an old sock to sniff. But as the S&M antics escalate, both kids grow increasingly disturbed by the twisted nature of their relationship and much of the film winds up focusing on their attempts to come to grips with their emerging sexuality.

Slow-moving at times and with a plot occasionally bordering on the absurd, Sasayaki nevertheless redeems itself through the relative sophistication with which it addresses its subject matter. Elements of black humour, combined with the superior performances of both lead actors, help to turn what could’ve been a perverted piece of pretentious horseshit into something almost bordering on poignant. An excellent first date movie for the fetish crowd, Sasayaki succeeds as a relatively intelligent character study of two Japanese school children with very grownup needs. Now if there was just a little more nudity… :

Sasayaki opens Friday, Sept 13 at Cinéma du Parc

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