The Madness of Sion Sono's Movies
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Sion Sono is a Japanese film maker who's also contributed many avante garde poetry performances. Most people would know him for his controversial films, notably Suicide Circle and Strange Circus. However, if you've ever had the pleasure of viewing his movies, you'll see the incredibly depth and expression he puts into each one. They all careen into amazingly fucked up territory but the number of messages and complexities he interweaves are just amazing.
Take Suicide Circle (2002):
The movie attracted controversy for it's portrayal of teenage suicides. Seeing the first two minutes of the film (Warning: Not for the squeamish), it's obvious there's more going on than meets the eye. Sono uses these platforms of 'suicide' and 'disconnect' to explore the consumer-heavy culture society has crafted, particularly Japanese society, as well as subliminal advertising in many of today's entertainment properties. The girl group DESSERT eerily brings to mind the world's current frenzy over Justin Bieber.
Then there's Strange Circus (2005):
To reveal any details of the story would be criminal. This movie is controversial for it's incest themes. But looking at it closely, the movie's real purpose is to ask: What is real, and what is not? Any one with even a slight understanding of psychology will marvel at the endless disorders, the psychosis, the complexes and traumas that each character revels in.
It's hard to really classify Sono's movies as Horror, or even in the Extreme category (though Suicide Circle could fit, with it's levels of blood). But then, it's impossible to put them into any known genre of film-making. Suicide Circle could easily be a love story as much as a mystery. Strange Circus is as much a family drama as it is an acid trip. The beauty of Sono's cinema is the amount of life he breathes into each subject, despite the grimness of their themes. His movies may not be for every one since he goes where few others dare but there's no denying his cinematic prowess.
Also check out Love Exposure (2008), which clocks in at an astounding 4 hours. Definitely relevant to any otaku and hentai fan. Of course, that's not including the millions of other things it says about religion, love, sins and so on. :)
For information on Sono's other works, check here.
Sion Sono wiki
Take Suicide Circle (2002):
The movie attracted controversy for it's portrayal of teenage suicides. Seeing the first two minutes of the film (Warning: Not for the squeamish), it's obvious there's more going on than meets the eye. Sono uses these platforms of 'suicide' and 'disconnect' to explore the consumer-heavy culture society has crafted, particularly Japanese society, as well as subliminal advertising in many of today's entertainment properties. The girl group DESSERT eerily brings to mind the world's current frenzy over Justin Bieber.
Then there's Strange Circus (2005):
To reveal any details of the story would be criminal. This movie is controversial for it's incest themes. But looking at it closely, the movie's real purpose is to ask: What is real, and what is not? Any one with even a slight understanding of psychology will marvel at the endless disorders, the psychosis, the complexes and traumas that each character revels in.
It's hard to really classify Sono's movies as Horror, or even in the Extreme category (though Suicide Circle could fit, with it's levels of blood). But then, it's impossible to put them into any known genre of film-making. Suicide Circle could easily be a love story as much as a mystery. Strange Circus is as much a family drama as it is an acid trip. The beauty of Sono's cinema is the amount of life he breathes into each subject, despite the grimness of their themes. His movies may not be for every one since he goes where few others dare but there's no denying his cinematic prowess.
Also check out Love Exposure (2008), which clocks in at an astounding 4 hours. Definitely relevant to any otaku and hentai fan. Of course, that's not including the millions of other things it says about religion, love, sins and so on. :)
For information on Sono's other works, check here.
Sion Sono wiki