Archive

Merry-Go-Round

Safe Word

SHIRAISHI Koji

Japan202294min Asian Premiere

Synopsis

Misa, underground idol, involves in violence trying to help fellow idol harassed by fan, and is banned from the venue. The owner of the S&M lounge H, Tsubaki, recognizes Misa’s talent and recruits her as a dominatrix. Under the constant training, Misa finally proves her talent as dominatrix and makes her debut, but suddenly caught up in unexpected drama.

Program Note

Misa, who was killing time doing squats at a dull fan signing event, angrily punched the middle-aged male fan who was bothering her fellow idol. Despite having a long career as a professional wrestler, she couldn’t quite grasp “the vibe” and was on the verge of being expelled from live houses. However, she unexpectedly receives a proposal. Just hearing it sends shivers down the spine - an offer to become the new queen of a terrifying BDSM club. Can our ultimate action hero, with the pinnacle of toughness, ascend to become a rising star both day and night?
This pink film garnered attention from the production stage, where middle-aged Takashima Masahiro took on the roles of Planning Supervisor, while renowned horror director Shiraishi Koji took the megaphone, creating a buzz from the filming stage. The director brought heavy and unparalleled themes from works like In the Realm of the Senses and Eyes Wide Shut into a bittersweet and cruel 18+ comedy, surpassing all kinds of predictable “lines”, and delivering one of the most controversial films at BIFAN 2023. What’s even more surprising is the approach, which is delightful. Not to be missed is the shocking impact of the last seven minutes, which compensates for the effort spent on ticket purchases. (HONG Sanghyun)

Diretor

SHIRAISHI Koji

Renowned director for his constant filmography filled with horror movies in the ‘mockumentary’ style and has a maniac fan base. His notable directorial works starts from his debut Ju-Rei: The Uncanny (2004), and continued with Noroi: The Curse (2005) and Sadako vs. Kayako (2016). In 2016, he published a book that focused on his unique approach to mockumentaries, “Textbook of Fake Documentary’.

Credit

Producer
TOBA Kenjiro, KINO Yoshi, AIBA Hiroyuki
Screenplay
SHIRAISHI Koji, TANIGUCHI Kohei
Cinematographer
IKEDA Kei, NEYA Ryôka
Editor
SHIRAISHI Koji
Sound
HISASHI Iwamaru, TATSUYA Kishikawa
Music
YUTA Mori
Production Design
ANDO Masato
Cast
KAWASE Chisako, TORIUMI Nagisa, OTOHA Ai