Nagisa Ōshima’s In the Realm of the Senses (愛のコリーダ, Ai no Korīda), released in 1976, remains a controversial and compelling piece of cinema. This French-Japanese co-production, a vintage softporn offering, delves into the depths of sexual obsession and its destructive power. The film, loosely based on the true story of Sada Abe, presents a fictionalized and explicitly sexual account of a scandalous 1936 murder.
Set in pre-war Tokyo, the film centers on Sada Abe, played with captivating intensity by Eiko Matsuda. Sada, a former prostitute, finds employment as a maid in a hotel. There, she embarks on a torrid affair with the hotel owner, Kichizo Ishida, portrayed by Tatsuya Fuji. Their initial attraction rapidly spirals into an all-consuming obsession, marked by increasingly daring sexual experimentation and a complete disregard for societal norms.
Ishida abandons his wife to fully immerse himself in the affair with Sada. Their relationship becomes a volatile mix of passion and possessiveness. Sada, driven by a desperate need to possess Ishida completely, becomes increasingly jealous and demanding. Ishida, in turn, becomes ever more willing to satisfy her desires, regardless of the consequences.
The narrative escalates as their intimate encounters grow more extreme. Ishida discovers that Sada derives intense pleasure from being strangled during sex. This dangerous game eventually leads to his accidental death during one of their passionate encounters. In a macabre act of possession, Sada then castrates him. The film famously depicts her next to his lifeless body, bearing a serene smile. Reports later state that she wandered with his severed genitals for four days before being apprehended. She had carved a message in blood on Ishida’s chest: “Sada Kichi, the two of us forever.”
In the Realm of the Senses is a stark exploration of forbidden desires and the blurring boundaries between love, violence, and power. The film challenges viewers to confront the extreme consequences of suppressing primal instincts within a rigidly controlled society. It serves as a visceral and unsettling commentary on the destructive nature of unchecked obsession and the lengths to which individuals will go to attain complete and utter possession. The film’s explicit nature, which caused significant controversy upon its release, is not gratuitous but rather a necessary element in conveying the intensity and raw power of the characters’ desires.
