I have to admit, sadly, that I found Nagisa Oshima's first film in 15 years barely worth the wait. The subject seems ideal for him: homosexual love among the feudal clans of 19th century Japan. They are holding on to their privileges and outdated rituals, and the arrival of a beautiful young man who attracts several competitive pairs of eyes among the monastic militarists proves a destabilising factor.
The film's English title, Taboo, refers to the commandant's order that, during his absence, no transgressive relationships must be entertained. Clear enough so far. And there are some absorbingly discreet apertures opened into the "forbidden love" in the peculiar permissive/repressive barrack-room societies - particularly a geisha reporting back on one young novice's shameful failure to make it with a woman. But what goes on under the surface, if not under the blankets, is dimmer. Inter-titles shed some light on it, but only in a teasing, laconic manner: "He Keeps His Long Locks, A Provocation For Men Sensitive To His Charms", says one, adding to the feeling that we're watching a very old-fashioned film - and its sexual reticence indeed belongs to a much earlier film-making era.
When young Kano (Ryuhei Matsuda) is ordered to kill his handsome lover (Tadanobu Asano), perhaps opening the way, and his bed, for his commandant (Beat Takeshi), the story loses its hierarchical precision and becomes as atmospheric as a traditional ghost story. The sword fights are flinchingly graphic. All this may be enough for Oshima fans. For me, Gohatto possessed something just out of reach that I found perplexing rather than tantalising. Maybe I just expected more.
Gohatto (Taboo)
Cert: 15
