Gokushiteki erosu: Renka 1974 (1974)

Gokushiteki erosu: Renka 1974 (1974). 1h 38m | Not Rated

“I was fascinated by Kazuo Harau0026#39;s THE EMPERORu0026#39;S NAKED ARMY MARCHES ON, so I thought Iu0026#39;d try of his earlier documentaries. In this one, he follows his ex-girlfriend Miyuki Takeda and their child to Okinawa where she bounces from a lesbian relationship to an interracial hetero relationship to a self-run day care facility and back to the mainland where she gives birth without medical assistance. Although Takeda is a fiercely independent, modernized woman and her relationship to the filmmaker provides some tense and compelling material, ultimately sheu0026#39;s not nearly as engaging a subject as Okuzaki from NAKED ARMY. The most revealing aspects come from the interactions between Hara and Takeda, especially when he brings his new girlfriend into the picture! I also found the scenes of Takeda arguing with her nearly-silent girlfriend very interesting. However, thereu0026#39;s a lot of u0026quot;downtimeu0026quot; without much thatu0026#39;s very compelling. The film is also plagued with technical problems… out-of-sync sound, a noisy camera, and the entire lengthy birth scene is out of focus (which Hara rightfully excuses because of his emotional state). This film might make a good companion piece to SHERMANu0026#39;S MARCH, although McElwee does a lot more to keep momentum going.”