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Gohatto (Taboo)

1999, Movie, NR, 100 mins

Gohatto (Taboo): Review

GOHATTO (TABOO) | TABOO
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Japanese director Nagisa Oshima knows a thing or two about taboos. He caught the world's attention with 1960's sensational CRUEL STORY OF YOUTH, outraged audiences with the blood-soaked art-porn of IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES (1976), and dared to explore the homoerotics of POW-camp sadism in 1983's MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE. Now, three years after suffering a devastating stroke, Oshima is back behind the camera, and his illness hasn't slowed him down a bit. Passion is once again his theme, only this time the shenanigans are anything but repressed. Kyoto, 1865: As Japan is rocked by a series of clan uprisings, the Shinsen militia is raiding the local dojos for a few good swordsmen to beef up its samurai ranks. Commander Kondo (Yoichi Sai) and his trusty lieutenant Hijikata (Beat Takeshi, who made his acting debut in MR. LAWRENCE) have selected two of the best: Tashiro (Tadanobu Asano), a poor farm hand, and Kano (Ryuhei Matsuda), the beautiful young son of a wealthy textile merchant. Bunking soft-featured, long-haired Kano with the rest of the samurai is a little like tossing fresh meat to a pack of hungry dogs, and Tashiro is only the first in a string of men who begin courting the comely youth. But looks can be deceiving, especially when it comes to innocence. Based on two separate novellas, the plot is slim — so slim, in fact, that the entire second act is devoted to an unrelated subplot involving an inept commander. But Oshima, a stranger to subtlety, makes his point — sexual desire is part and parcel of male bonding, even within the noblest traditions. And the film, a well-crafted potboiler from start to finish, is suffused that claustrophobic, overheated aura that Oshima handles so well. leave a comment --Ken Fox
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