痛并快乐著 (1977)

Tatsumi Kumashiro has been known as ”Nikkatsu’s most consistently successful director”, but nothing could’ve prepared me for this manical pink yakuza flick which feels like a combination of Miike, Almodovar and Tanaka. If you thought the genre couldn’t surprise you, think again, every 5 minutes. Still, beneath all the madness there’s a real screenplay that even places the sex scenes somewhat ”logically”. Perhaps most importantly, Kumashiro’s skill with editing and music is exhilarating. He uses pops and ballads, even wedding and funeral music throughout the film and merges them with images flawlessly. Artistic skill; a lot, entertainment value; even more, how much drugs; I don’t know.