Sunday, June 08, 2014
Trained to die
Today's movie is a samurai picture with a gay twist. A winner at Cannes in its year.
Young samurai have a close bond which, as it turns out, has a sexual component.
Older men observe and conspire to use the young men to carry out their own agendas.
The theme of the repressed violence of samurai training and the forbidden desires of men for men in close quarters leads to an explosion of lust and murder. The murder is carried out in the ceremonial manner.
All samurai pictures carry similar themes. But, in most cases, the violence is unleashed at opponents on the battlefield. Here, it is among their own cadre.
The leading man is extremely handsome and has a good bit of the feminine about him. In this respect it is a bit too airy fairy as the attraction to him by other men seems to fit a bit more of the butch fem variety. But this is old style cinema where the men are men and the gay men are somehow to blame for the stuff that goes on. This film stands that on its ear by showing an understanding elder, Beat Takashi (who I adore) and a cast of other men who treat the whole homosexual angle as just another aspect of their life together.
Some of the boys have girl troubles too and there is competition for their attention although all of the women in this film seem to be prostitutes. There is a wonderfully camp sequence when a prostitute tries to turn the gay boy's interest away from men. It is easy to see why he would not be interested. But I am gay too.
I like this film a lot and as it is a repeater it gets a 5 out of Netflix5.
