1996
Directed by Peter Greenaway
So I wasn't exactly hankering for another Peter Greenaway film after The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover. He put some images in my head that I can't get out and I wasn't eager for him to implant new ones. Well, he isn't quite as disturbing here, but he still left some mental scars.
Nagiko is a Japanese model living in Hong Kong. She has a fetish for being written on, and is hoping to find a lover who is good at sex and calligraphy. Enter Ewan McGregor, who plays Jerome, the lover of a publisher Nagiko hopes will distribute her work. She discovers that Jerome's penmanship isn't half bad. They begin a relationship that ends in a very Greenaway-ish way.
I like the idea of this film, that it is based on an ancient diary written by Sei Shonagon about her time in court. I would much rather watch a more faithful adaptation, but them's the breaks. Visually, the film was stunning, particularly the parts with naked Ewan McGregor. But I never really connect to Greenaway films. All of his characters seem rather aimless, and meet fairly disgusting ends.
Not the worst movie on the List lately, but still skippable. 50 more to go!
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
Much of the movie is in Japanese, and some of the English subtitles are intentionally incorrect.
U2 was slated to be involved with the film's soundtrack, but the idea fell through.
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