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Weird9 Notoriously NSFW Moments From “In the Realm of the Senses”
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IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Before you get too far into this, just know what you're about to read and see is all very NSFW (Not Safe For Work). In a very artful way, of course. But still, NOT SAFE FOR WORK.
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Oh, and if you like what you see, be sure to check out FilmStruck. Decider readers are eligible for an exclusive extended 30-Day Free Trial of the service, so sign up today!
Photos: Argos Films ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps
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In an early moment that acts as a kind of precursor for all the surprisingly explicit directions In The Realm Of The Senses will go, we see some children throwing snowballs at an old tramp's genitals. The shocking nature of what's shown in close-up has a "You ain't seen nothing" quality.
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Sometimes, it's not just what you see in this movie but how every sexual act is spoken about with such explicit candor.
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There is a LOT of extreme sex and violence coming in this movie, yet this super-up-close shot of a blowjob -- ejaculation and all -- might just take top honors for the moment that is the most shocking to see outside of an actual porno film. The '70s!
Photo: FilmStruck
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As mentioned on the Criterion edition's absolutely essential commentary track, the licking of menstrual blood, while not exactly a Sunday afternoon activity in America either, is a fundamental Japanese taboo.
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No matter how many times the commentary track tries to tell you that you're about to see a woman sexed with a bird-shaped dildo, you're never fully prepared for when it happens.
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"Food dipped in your lover's juices" is honestly such an evocative phrase, I honestly wonder why I haven't heard it more often. Not, like, at the Olive Garden, but in other transgressive art at least.
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One of the things you hear about In the Realm of the Senses -- it being such a notorious outrageous film and all -- is that there is an egg scene. There very much is!
Photo: FilmStruck
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The most appropriate caption for this scene is honestly "Fun with Dicks." Because Sade Abe, at this point in the film, is just having a lot of fun with Ishida's dick. Given what happens not long after, it's probably a moment you'll want to linger in.
Photo: FilmStruck
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So, yeah. Based on true events, In the Realm of the Senses ends the same way that alleged true story did, with Sade Abe killing Ishida after strangling him during sex, and then severing his penis. The story goes that she then walked around with his penis inside her for several days. It is no surprise that this film was banned in Japan and the United States, but it is equally no surprise that it's also a Criterion Collection film whose artistic merits continue to be discussed. It's the rare movie that's this notorious that absolutely lives up to its billing.
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Watching your favorite arthouse movies has never been easier than it is with FilmStruck, which offers subscribers an incredibly diverse selection of cinematic classics, including favorites from Turner Classic Movies and the Criterion Collection. Decider readers are eligible for an exclusive extended 30-Day Free Trial of the service. Sign up today, and be sure to follow FilmStruck's brand new Twitter handle @FSAfterDark, the best way to explore the darker corners of FilmStruck.
Photo: FilmStruck
