Antiporno

アンチポルノ

Directed by: Sion Sono
2017 / 78 minutes / R

A SUBVERSIVE ARTHOUSE FILM THAT TACKLES THE PATRIARCHY HEAD ON.

Screened as part of JFF 2017

21-year-old Kyoko (Ami Tomite, Love and Other Cults) is an emerging artist brimming with self-confidence and entitlement. Not unlike other creatives, she often falls into a slump and takes her frustration out on her 36-year-old assistant, Noriko. Kyoko behaves like a queen and nonchalantly humiliates Noriko with demeaning, often sexually abusive, punishments infront of guests.

Just as the situation is about to spin out of control someone suddenly yells “Cut!”. The characters are actually only on set—Kyoko is in fact a meek actor starting at the bottom rungs of the entertainment industry, and Noriko is a condescending diva, a veteran actor at the top of the food chain.

As the film progresses, delusion and reality bleed together in a vibrant, fantastic world where truth-falsity and strength-weakness constantly alternate without any foreshadowing. A film is shot within a film, within another film, and within another film. With repeated themes of freedom, disgrace and gender politics, visually, nothing is subtle, but ideologically, a quiet and powerful message prevails: women should be masters of their own fate.

Controversial filmmaker Sion Sono creates an anarchistic, radical, and beautiful film that breaks all barriers. Created as part of the Roman Porno Reboot Project, Sono has chosen the perfect opportunity to create a feminist film that challenges misogyny head on.