Masami Akita - aka Merzbow is one of the most prolific and respected ''noisicians'' in the Japanese noise scene today. He has been cranking out Harsh Noise since the early 80's and has collaborated with various artists from Genesis P-Orridge and Gore Beyond Necropsy to Mike Patton and Sunn O))). I am a big fan of his work, so naturally when I found out he had directed a short film I was rather excited and sought it out immediately (which was not an easy task).
Lost Paradise is a Seppuku - or Harakiri - fetish film. Seppuku is an ancient form of Japanese ritual suicide which involves disemboweling oneself, and was a key part of the Samurai warrior code, Bushido. If a warrior had been taken hostage or dishonored he would take his Tanto (ritual blade) and pierce his abdomen, then make a left-to-right gash, letting his intestines spill out onto the ground.
Lost Paradise is part of a six film Harakiri series produced by Right Brain. Other entries in the series are exactly the same (minus the Merzbow direction & score of course), the only difference being that the female is portraying a different character eg: schoolgirl, nurse, Kabuki actress, traditionally dressed Japanese woman, etc. So once you've seen one you've basically seen 'em all.
The runtime of the film is 30 minutes, heres how it plays out - first 10 minutes: A woman dressed in military uniform enters a room. She sits cross-legged on the floor and proceeds to methodically strip down to just her shirt. She then opens her shirt and caresses her naked stomach for a while before pulling out her ritual blade. She stares at it for a few minutes then wraps ½ the blade in a ceremonial cloth. Next 10 minutes: She plunges the blade into her stomach and slooooowly pulls it across from left to right. She moans sexually as her intestines begin to fall onto the floor. Last 10 minutes: she rolls around in her entrails groaning and then finally dies. A man comes in, and at discovering her body promptly blows his brains out. The End Obviously there's not too much ''substance'' to it, but I enjoyed this flick immensely, it is a true piece of transgressive art. The way the camera caresses the actress's body as she's in the midst of her death throes, zooming in on her breasts as she moans and groans erotically, is a total sexualization of death.
A lot of the bleak mood comes down to Merbow's fittingly grating soundtrack. While not as harsh as "classic" Merzbow, it's more of an underlying rumbling static, which sometimes rises to dissonant peaks. Merzbow has also directed some Shibari rope-bondage videos for various companies and written copiously on the origin and history of the art of Japanese bondage. Recommended for fans of Merzbow or confrontational & obscure cinema. 8/10
Lost Paradise is a Seppuku - or Harakiri - fetish film. Seppuku is an ancient form of Japanese ritual suicide which involves disemboweling oneself, and was a key part of the Samurai warrior code, Bushido. If a warrior had been taken hostage or dishonored he would take his Tanto (ritual blade) and pierce his abdomen, then make a left-to-right gash, letting his intestines spill out onto the ground.
Lost Paradise is part of a six film Harakiri series produced by Right Brain. Other entries in the series are exactly the same (minus the Merzbow direction & score of course), the only difference being that the female is portraying a different character eg: schoolgirl, nurse, Kabuki actress, traditionally dressed Japanese woman, etc. So once you've seen one you've basically seen 'em all.
The runtime of the film is 30 minutes, heres how it plays out - first 10 minutes: A woman dressed in military uniform enters a room. She sits cross-legged on the floor and proceeds to methodically strip down to just her shirt. She then opens her shirt and caresses her naked stomach for a while before pulling out her ritual blade. She stares at it for a few minutes then wraps ½ the blade in a ceremonial cloth. Next 10 minutes: She plunges the blade into her stomach and slooooowly pulls it across from left to right. She moans sexually as her intestines begin to fall onto the floor. Last 10 minutes: she rolls around in her entrails groaning and then finally dies. A man comes in, and at discovering her body promptly blows his brains out. The End Obviously there's not too much ''substance'' to it, but I enjoyed this flick immensely, it is a true piece of transgressive art. The way the camera caresses the actress's body as she's in the midst of her death throes, zooming in on her breasts as she moans and groans erotically, is a total sexualization of death.
A lot of the bleak mood comes down to Merbow's fittingly grating soundtrack. While not as harsh as "classic" Merzbow, it's more of an underlying rumbling static, which sometimes rises to dissonant peaks. Merzbow has also directed some Shibari rope-bondage videos for various companies and written copiously on the origin and history of the art of Japanese bondage. Recommended for fans of Merzbow or confrontational & obscure cinema. 8/10
