Bad Film

Released in 2012, but this is in fact an older Sono film he finished two decades after he made it. It's pure fanservice really, a fun film for followers of Sono who want to see how he developed himself as a director. And in that sense, it's not too bad, as long as you can deal with the unpolished styling and poor performances.

Close to the handover of Hong Kong, conflict between the Japanese and Chinese immigrants in the Koenji area flares up. A possible savior comes from an unexpected source. When a Japanese boy and a Chinese girl fall in love, they inspire the gay communities of both nationalities to join forces, and together they are hellbent on easing the tension.

The setup is pretty interesting, but the execution needed some polish. It feels like a cross between a lesser Tsukamoto, a meager (Gakuryu) Ishii, and a tepid Miike. It's certainly not all bad though, Sono's talent already shines through and for a film that goes well past the 2-hour, it never gets boring. It's just that Sono wasn't quite ready to do justice to the material he was handling here.