I hadn't expected this movie from Koji Shiraishi. Pseudo-documentaries with a hand-held camera where the cameraman's part of the narrative... well, that's business as normal for him. I love his horror films, but this isn't horror. It's about BDSM dominatrixes.

Misa is a struggling underground idol who doesn't mind punching people and is being filmed for a documentary. One day, she's approached by Tsubaki, played by the amazing and gender-fluid Ryuchell. (This person probably committed suicide the year after this film came out, aged 27, but was a Japanese model, social media influencer, television personality, and LGBTQ+ advocate who popularised an androgynous fashion style called "genderless kei". He/she is glorious and you'll fall in love.) Tsubaki owns a BDSM club and thinks Misa has potential as a dominatrix. Is this a pervert's equivalent of gaydar, or is Tsubaki psychic? It's a stroke of genius. Misa had never considered anything like this, but she takes the plunge and wow.

Is it horror? Not at all. Is it a pink film? No, although it does have nudity. It's a proper film with something to say, but with extreme subject matter. The first half's mostly setting things up and there's a nudity-and-ropes S&M scene that gets a bit boring, but the second half gets going. The film's exploring the boundaries between secret and everyday identities. (You could do a superhero version of this.) Have you told people what you really are? What will happen if lines get crossed? Can you trust everyone in that world to recognise the same lines as you?

Things go further. What if your dominatrix told you to go outside wearing a studded leather slave collar and nothing else, walk to a railway station and announce that you're a pervert? (I think onlookers would get the message even if you didn't say anything.) What if you took this idea to the next level and looked for an irrevocable, probably career-wrecking public statement? (Don't forget the kind of people we're talking about. That kind of thing turns them on.)

The film's message is PERVERTS YAY!!! Take pride in yourself. Being gay, fat, handicapped, non-binary and indeed pretty much anything legal has been reclaimed as a badge of identity these days... but what about disturbing kinky weirdos? Their time should come. Embrace your tastes. Don't be ashamed of what you love. If you're not hurting anyone (who doesn't want to be hurt, whipped, tortured, humiliated, etc.), then shout it from the rafters.

This is cool. The film's first half is quiet, but the second half busts boundaries. The message gets both stated and demonstrated.

I admire this film and I'd never seen anything like it. Koji Shiraishi is amazing. The cast are pretty good, even those without much of an acting career. To my delight, there's even Shigeo Osako from Shiraishi's Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi films. This one's definitely different... and very, very Japan.