Raindance proudly presents a double bill hand picked from the very best of Japan’s celebrated genre of cinematic softcore.

THE STRANGE SAGA OF HIROSHI THE FREELOADING SEX MACHINE [Himo no Hiroshi / Sex Machine - Hiwai na Kisetsu]

FRIDAY 29 SEPTEMBER AT 9:45

Country Japan Running Time 64 mins Format 35mm Director Yuji Tajiri
Cast Mutsuo Yoshioka, Rinako Hirasawa, Kazuhiro Sano, Yuya Matsuura
Print Source Kokuei Co. Ltd

Director Yuji Tajiri caused a massive stir in pink filmmaking circles when his surprisingly mature emotional drama Rustling in Bed (a.k.a. Office Lady’s Love Juice) first hit the screens of local adult theatres in 1999. His most recent work takes a more slapstick approach with its tale of the affable but simple Hiroshi who during one sweltering summer in a small, parochial rural town, moves into the apartment of his single-mom girlfriend Haruka. Their lovemaking is as athletic as it is bizarre but a dark storm comes looming when Haruka’s ex comes knocking at the door. Hiroshi is challenged to a showdown, but not of the conventional pistols at dawn variety: it comes in the form of the cricket wrestling craze that has swept over the whole town. This energetic sex comedy is a fine example of the boundary-breaking nature of Japanese sex comedy.

BITTER SWEET [Bitâ Suîto]

Country Japan Running Time 64 mins Format BetaCam NTSC Director Mitsuru Meike Cast Konatsu, Yumika Hayashi, Kin Ishikawa, Kazuhiro Sano Print Source Kokuei Co. Ltd Email info@stance.co.jp

Mitsuru Meike’s last film, the side-splitting anti-Bush erotic farce The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai, which screened at Raindance 2005 went on to cause international waves in a manner that belied its humble origins. His latest work shows a completely different side to his filmmaking personality, a serious drama about an ordinary young woman with doubts about her approaching marriage. One evening, while dining at a small bistro with her friend, she catches the eye of the cook/owner, an older man who is accomplished, sophisticated and lonely. When she returns after closing time, the owner lets her in, and very soon they are at it on the cold metal kitchen table. The owner, it turns out, is thinking of divorcing his wife, even though they have two young sons. The appearance of a passionate young woman in his life brings that decision closer - but doesn’t make it easy. Meanwhile, the distance between him and his wife grows. All the same, she has a secret of her own. JS

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