Ai no shinsekai

This movie really follows four lives. But it's only two people. The first is professionally a dominatrix and the second her personal life including being an actress at an amateur theatre. The third is a call girl with the fourth being her personal life and relationship. All four come together along with others including the theatre troop and other characters.

This movie's claim to fame (even listed in IMDB trivia) is that it was the first Japanese film to show full, unpixilated frontal female nudity. Well, it isn't actually. There is quite a bit of nudity but not always presented when or how you might expect. One of the screenwriters is famed photographer Nobuyoshi Araki and he took black & white nude pictures of one character which are shown throughout the film. The nudity is not IMO the reason for watching this film.

This really explores the lives in depth of the two female characters and their dual lives. It has some funny moments especially one scene yet this is not a comedy. It shows their professional lives, both the good and bad. Plus the complexities of their personal lives. And their professional and personal lives sometimes cross.

The cast is excellent and the two female leads are outstanding. The direction is brilliant. Every scene seems to lead to the next. Normally I am very good at predicting things and in a movie but not in this film at all. Should say that although this film was made in 1994 it does not feel dated at all.

I rated this a 9 out of 10. Not sure why I deducted one point. Probably because it is not Casablanca. Tho I just enjoyed this film for the second time in several years and will enjoy it again another time. If you're expectations are for a softcore movie you might be disappointed. Instead if you seek a character study that hits all the points, this is the film for you.