Review for A Snake of June

Introduction

Sometimes I request a check disc from a distributor without thinking. That’s certainly true for Third Window Films, who I have come to trust as a distributor that releases films that are well worth watching, even if in the end they turn out not to be my cup of tea. So when they announced that they would be releasing Shinya Tsukamoto’s A Snake of June, the director behind Tetsuo, Bullet Ballet and Kotoko, I requested a check disc without any further thought. It’s only later that I learned that A Snake of June is an erotic thriller, a genre that is very much underrepresented in my collection. It’s nothing to do with prudishness; it’s just not a genre that I’m interested in, the whole Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction thing passing me by (although I do have Fatal Instinct in my collection). Once again, I’m stepping well outside my comfort zone to review a Third Window Films title, but then again, that’s the whole point of reviewing them.


Rinko and Shigehiko have a sexless marriage, lacking intimacy, although the two are good friends. They’re living pretty much as roommates, with Shigehiko obsessed with cleanliness and hygiene. Rinko works as a telephone counsellor, providing a friendly ear to those in need, those at the end of their tether. But communicating with her husband is one thing that she can’t do, so when it comes to her sexual needs, she has to resort to self-gratification.

Then Rinko receives a package in the post, tantalisingly titled “Your Husband’s Secrets”. But the package contains her secrets, photos of her masturbating, as well as a mobile phone which soon rings. The voice on the other side of the line has been watching her, knows her intimate fantasies, and he wants to play, and in return he’ll give her the negatives. But putting on a miniskirt, without underwear, and buying a sex toy is just the start. Then the voice turns his attention to Shigehiko.

Picture

A Snake of June gets the 4:3 pillarboxed 1080p treatment on this Blu-ray. Shinya Tsukamoto and Third Window Films have been instrumental in getting these films to HD, with the director personally overseeing the transfer of his films onto Blu-ray. This is how he wants A Snake of June to be seen on this format. It’s an unconventional film, visually speaking. It was shot on 16mm monochrome film, and then blown up to 35mm colour film (which doesn’t have the problems with grain that blowing up to 35mm monochrome has), then the whole thing was colour timed to introduce the distinctive blue tint to the film.

The transfer here is very impressive, clear and sharp throughout, stable, with great contrast and good detail, and a natural layer of film grain, which never becomes obtrusive in the way that it did on the Bullet Ballet disc. One issue might be some scratch marks at the top and bottom of the frame for new cuts, although it might actually be a creative choice. If it bothers you, you can always turn your TV’s overscan on. The blue tint to the film transforms it. It’s a fantastic looking film to begin with, with each scene wonderfully framed, with stunning composition. It’s a film that you experience on a visual, almost tactile level before you even consider the plot, or the characterisation. Then the blue tint on top of that introduces a whole new emotion to the film, a sense of warmth and intimacy, rather than the expected voyeurism of a viewer. It makes you part of the film, which has the added effect of making the film’s more distressing moments even more uncomfortable. But I have to say that A Snake of June on a visual level alone is the most arresting, beautiful, live action Japanese film that I have seen.

The images in this review have been kindly supplied by Third Window Films.

Sound

You get a DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround Japanese track with optional subtitles. The dialogue is clear throughout, and the film is pretty much a front loaded affair when it comes to the audio. The surrounds are used to immerse you into the film’s rain drenched atmosphere, a constant presence in the story, set as it is during Japan’s rainy season. The subtitles are accurately timed and are free of typographical error.

Extras

The disc presents its content with an animated menu screen.

There are some very nice extras to go with this release, beginning with an Interview with Director Shinya Tsukamoto, a sit down Q&A to the camera that goes into detail about why he made the film, what he was hoping to achieve, why blue, and more. This is presented in 1080i and lasts 25:41.

The Shooting a Snake of June featurette lasts 19:48, is presented in 720p, and is a contemporary making of featurette from 2002, with interviews with the director and crew.

You also get the UK trailer for this film and the trailers for Tetsuo 1 & 2, Iron Fist, Bullet Ballet, and Kotoko, all in 1080p.

In the audio section of the menu screen, you’ll find the Audio Commentary with Tom Mes. I lamented the absence of the Bullet Ballet commentary, but this makes up for it, as Tom Mes is a Shinya Tsukamoto aficionado, having authored Iron Man: The Cinema of Shinya Tsukamoto. I only had the time to sample the commentary, but from what little I heard, it was as detailed, informative and as measured as I expected.

Conclusion

If there is a convention to erotic thrillers, then A Snake of June is as unconventional as it gets, taking the viewer on a wholly unexpected, and in many ways refreshing route. Of course just how A Snake of June differs from its peers is a whopping great spoiler, something I’ll avoid here, simply stating that this film is very much worth watching for that reason. Some of the standards are the same, the loveless couple leading separate regimented lives, thrown into chaos by the mysterious voyeur, the blackmailer, the strange voice on the other side of the phone line, apparently tormenting first Rinko, and then her husband Shigehiko. It seems like the usual mystery at first, just who is this caller, why does he know this couple so well, what does he want, what motivates him?

These are important questions in A Snake of June, and the film does take us down the expected route of mystery and discovery, but really this is the least of what the film accomplishes. A Snake of June really serves as a celebration of life. Despite the dark oppressive overtone of the story, the threatening nature of the controlling caller, and the helplessness of the protagonists against his demands, what we have here are a lifeless, cold couple in Rinko and Shigehiko. The manipulative caller shakes them out of this lifelessness, and starts them down a path of self-discovery, although the final destination that his whims dictate may be a place that his victims would rather avoid.


While the story is effective, and as I mention refreshingly unexpected, it’s in terms of the visual aesthetic that A Snake of June really stands out, with outstanding direction, great performances, and with that blue tinted monochrome look really setting the film apart, making the most of the lead character’s sensuality and screen presence. This is a very personal and involving film, not one that you simply watch as a viewer, or as a voyeur, but a film that draws you into its rain-drenched atmosphere, almost makes you feel part of its narrative, really does invest you in its characters.

Third Window Films gives A Snake of June an excellent treatment for its Blu-ray debut, another memorable and unique film from one of Japan’s finest independent filmmakers, Shinya Tsukamoto. A Snake of June is very much recommended.