Intimacy, sex, and sexual exploitation of women in Japanese film

Intimacy, sex, and sexual exploitation of women in Japanese film

The subject of intimacy, sex and sexual exploitation, particularly of women, is a thick and complicated one in Japanese cinema and culture. Explore this further through looking at Street of Shame (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1956) as well as an additional Japanese film with these themes, dramatic, comedic, or otherwise, such as the films of Ryuchi Hiroki or Sion Sono. See: Vibrator (2003), Love Exposure (2009), Guilty of Romance (2011).

Ideally, this essay should include explorations into filmmaking analysis [directorial approach, production style, creative/industrial influence], cultural reflection or relevance as it ties into history, and critical reception and interpretation by Eastern and/or Western critics/scholars. A broader survey of your topic should outline the approach of your essay, followed by your own interpretation of how the works of film discussed reflect particular tendencies/feelings/meanings in cinema or culture…or both.