Director: Shinya Tsukamoto

Screenplay: Shinya Tsukamoto

Minutes: 77

Year: 2002

Score: 6.93

Release: Tartan Asia Extreme

Sometimes I wonder about how younger generations feel about the surveillance culture they live in. When I am in public, I know that I am surrounded by, at least, as many cameras than I am people, and double that for microphones. We all walk around with these magic mirrors in our pockets that surveil us and those around us. Separate from these phones many of the homes we visit have other devices that are always recording. We can pretend that these devices only pay attention when we call their names, but they always pay attention.

From DiabolikDVD.com: (region 1 dvd)

Rinko (Asuka Kurosawa from Cold Fish) and Shigehiko (novelist Yuji Kotari) are a strange couple, whose physical mismatch (she a lithe beauty, he an overweight, balding, obsessive-compulsive neurotic) is reflected in the complete lack of intimacy between them. They connect as human beings, but they live more like friends than as lovers and lead nearly independent lives. Both seem comfortable with this coexistence, but the desires that lurk beneath its surface are brought out with the introduction of a third element into the equation. When Rinko receives a package of candid photographs of herself masturbating and the sender (played by Tsukamoto himself) contacts her with the threat of exposing them to her husband, she submits herself to the anonymous voyeur’s sexual games. If she wishes to get hold of all the negatives and prints, Rinko is to comply with a set of assignments that place her constantly on the borderline between humiliation and pleasure – the voyeur knows exactly what Rinko’s personal erotic fantasies are and makes her act them out one by one.

I recently watched A SNAKE OF JUNE, which can be one of the most terrifying films if the surveillance state is something that keeps you up at night. And it should make you uneasy if you are just a normal human trying to navigate this wicked world. In the film, Rinko is a work-a-day woman whose life is upended when packages start arriving at their home from a secret paparazzi. The images get more and more erotic with each passing package until difficult decisions need to be made. A twist in the film is that Rinko has a sexual awakening through the action of the spying.

This is what piqued my interest more than just a suspenseful thriller of a movie. In a surveillance state we have also become voyeurs and exhibitionists. Scroll through Facebook or Instagram and there are people, young and old, who freely broadcast their existence in hopes that somebody might find it interesting. The problem here is that it is not free. We gladly sacrifice ourselves to receive a dopamine hit when someone else triggers interest, while simultaneously helping a platform learn about you to, essentially, sell you to yourself. And that is not even taking into consideration that little device we have plugged in so that I can vocally tell the ether of my house that I need to set a timer.

Certainly, the plot of A SNAKE OF JUNE is a far cry from mere social networking as I would hope that even the most avid over-sharer would be terrified to be injected into a lurid and abusive relationship based on voyeuristic terrorism. However, I supposed you would have to consider the relationship between Rinko and her husband Shigehiko. Could Rinko’s life be so devoid of intimacy that she yearns for a connection, even one predicated on fear?

Shinya Tsukamoto’s vision for the film is clearly viewed through a lens of David Lynch, perhaps a marriage of ERASERHEAD and LOST HIGHWAY. The film has a blue hue throughout to amplify the constant rain and overall moistness of the feature. The director uses some interesting cuts and non-traditional sound cues to keep the feeling a tension throughout.

If you haven’t seen the film, it is difficult for me to offer a flat recommendation. The harshness of the theme along with the Avant Garde-adjacent film technics would probably alienate a casual viewer. However, if you have a Lynch itch that needs scratching A SNAKE OF JUNE will definitely give you that. It is a brisk 77 minutes, but it feels longer, and not in a bad way, if you catch my meaning. It is a world that I wouldn’t want to populate, but there is a fascination that wiggles its way into my mind.

There is a Region B Blu-ray available or and very cheap DVD form Tartan Asia Extreme. I watched the DVD and it looks fine. I believe there is a commentary on the disc but I need to detox before I might want to reinject myself with the film.  

Director: 8 – Cinematography: 9 – Edit: 6 – Parity: 0 – Main performance: 10 – Else performance: 5 – Score: 8 – Sound: 8 – Story: 7 – Script: 6 – Effects: 9 – Design: 7 – Costumes: 7 – Keeps interest: 9 – Lasting: 5