Ai no korīda – Im Reich der Sinne

In 1936, a notorious scandal unfolded in Japan: Kichizō and his geisha, Abe Sada, were so infatuated with one another that they lost sight of the world around them. Their passion spiraled into madness, culminating in him allowing her to strangle him and her cutting off his penis... A major controversy erupted during the film's premiere at the 1976 Berlinale: although screened in the Forum section, it was subsequently seized by public prosecutors on suspicion of obscenity and was not released until two years later. The scandal brought "taboo-breaker" Ōshima—a key figure in the reinvention of Japanese cinema—to international prominence. Today, "Ai no Korīda" is regarded as a subversive milestone that challenges both political and sexual moral conventions.
(Florian Widegger)