FILM

Japan 2011 113 mins Subtitles Dir: Sion Sono Starring: Megumi Kagurazaka, Miki Mizuno, Makato Togashi, Kanji Tsuda

It just seems as though Sion Sono is unusually prolific at the moment. His hugely enjoyable sex, violence and tropical fish flick 'Cold Fish' was released here recently, but was actually made more than a year ago. Billed as the final part of his 'Hate Trilogy', 'Guilty of Romance' is once again based very loosely on a true crime story, with lashings of sex and intermittent violence. But after a strong start, it begins to meander and still feels over-long despite being shorn of 30 minutes after screening at Cannes. Undeveloped literary references, an ill-fitting classical soundtrack and a pseudo-feminist 'liberation through prostitution' message all prove rather baffling, but Sono remains a great visual stylist and many individual scenes work well. There's also plenty here for connoisseurs of full-frontal female nudity.

The set-up has a detective (Mizuno) investigating a bizarre murder case in a Japanese city's love hotel district. In a derelict apartment, two bodies appear to have been chopped up and reassembled with parts from a mannequin. We then meet busty, demure housewife Izumi (Sono regular Megumi Kagurazaka), who's trapped in a loveless marriage to a famous romantic novelist. Determined to do something before she's 30, Izumi embarks on twin careers as a nude model and - I sh*t you not - a sausage saleswoman. A third strand focuses on university literature professor Mitsuko (Togashi), who enjoys a sideline as a proselytising prostitute.

Although this degenerates somewhat into pervy love romps (dig that pink paint!) and shouting, there's also a rich vein of black humour, especially when Mitsuko's sour mum turns up. Observant viewers will also note that Izumi's sausages get larger and more tumescent as she explores her sexuality. (Robin Askew)

website www.koi-tumi.com/index.html

Opens: September 30

Copyright Robin Askew 2011