Woman in a Box 2 opens with an imprisoned woman eating fried chicken and pissing into a latrine. At this point, I knew that I was watching a Nikkatsu Erotic Film. For those that have been following along, Impulse Pictures is releasing these classic works of Asian erotic cinema to American DVD buyers. Rarely seen in the US outside of their initial unsavory releases, they’re now given the proper respect. Think of it like the Criterion Collection for Perverts.
I’ll never understand the Japanese taboo about showing certain sexual acts. About 15 minutes into the movie, a couple engages in oral sex. This quickly leads to a dated Video Toaster style blur effect over the action. Meanwhile, some foley artist must have went to town on bumping up the audio. The same nauseating audio effect keeps happening until it becomes pretty comical.
So, what about the rest of the movie? A young woman feels bad for her brother’s marital woes, but it’s OK. He just kidnapped a lady and has thrown her into a box. His new box wife prisoner will do whatever he wants, as all wives are just the same.
This leads to more sex and a feeling of what if Secretary was made by a sex offender. I love these looks into cultural mindsets in given era. Especially since a culture’s filth says a lot about what was going in their repressed sectors. Given that the film is barely 32 years old, I’m not quite ready to paint it into a corner.
When dealing with Eastern cultures devoid of the Puritanical horseshit that comes with being a former British colony, you have to approach things differently. After all, they did get a smattering of Victorian influence that messed them up worse. It’s almost comical to judge who has the worst fiction about sex.
But, I never saw a lady eating chicken and pissing during the opening credits of any Red Shoe Diary. The DVD comes with removable subtitles. Watch Woman in a Box 1 before 2, because I have no idea if I’m missing something here.
