Taboo

Dec 18, 1999

1h 40m

★ 6.5

How am I insane?

Overview

Set during Japan's Shogun era, this film looks at life in a samurai compound where young warriors are trained in swordfighting. A number of interpersonal conflicts are brewing in the training room, all centering around a handsome young samurai named Sozaburo Kano. The school's stern master can choose to intervene, or to let Kano decide his own path.

Genres

Drama

History

Thriller

Production Companies

Oshima Productions

Shochiku

KADOKAWA Shoten

IMAGICA

BS Asahi

Eisei Gekijo

Bac Films

Le Studio Canal+

Recorded Picture Company

Taboo Trailers

Cast

Toshizo Hijikata

Takeshi Kitano

Sozaburo Kano

Ryuhei Matsuda

Hyozo Tashiro

Tadanobu Asano

Isami Kondo

Yōichi Sai

Okita Sōji

Shinji Takeda

Spy

Susumu Terajima

Samurai Tojiro Yuzawa

Tomorowo Taguchi

Samurai executed by Kanô

Yoji Tanaka

Narrator (voice)

Kei Satō

Jiro Sakagami

Eve Masatoh

Yoshiaki Fujiwara

Murakawa, an aging Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life, is sent by his boss to Okinawa along with a few of his henchmen to help end a gang war, supposedly as mediators between two warring clans. He finds that the dispute between the clans is insignificant and whilst wondering why he was sent to Okinawa at all, his group is attacked in an ambush. The survivors flee and make a decision to lay low at the beach while they await further instructions.

5.8

Running with Scissors

Oct 27, 2006

Young Augusten Burroughs absorbs experiences that could make for a shocking memoir: the son of an alcoholic father and an unstable mother, he's handed off to his mother's therapist, Dr. Finch, and spends his adolescent years as a member of Finch's bizarre extended family.

6.5

Admiral

Jan 29, 2015

When the young republic of The Netherlands is attacked by England, France and Germany and faces its own civil war no less, only one man, Michael de Ruyter, can lead the county's strongest weapon, the Dutch fleet.

5.0

$pent

Mar 1, 1999

This comic drama examines the relationships and addictions of a group of twenty-something friends with very dysfunctional, yet interesting lives.

4.2

Summoning Sylvia

Apr 7, 2023

A gay bachelor party turned spooky when sinister spirits are suddenly summoned.

4.0

I Am My Own Woman

Oct 30, 1992

The life story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, who survived the Nazi reign as a trans woman and helped start the German gay liberation movement. Documentary with some dramatized scenes. Two actors play the young and middle aged Charlotte and she plays herself in the later years.

6.4

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Nov 21, 1997

A visiting city reporter's assignment suddenly revolves around the murder trial of a local millionaire, whom he befriends.

6.1

Labyrinth of Passion

Sep 29, 1982

An array of outrageous people, including a desperate nymphomaniac and a terrorist with an acute sense of smell, seek love and happiness in Madrid.

7.2

Death in Venice

Mar 5, 1971

Composer Gustav von Aschenbach travels to Venice for health reasons. There, he becomes obsessed with the stunning beauty of an adolescent Polish boy named Tadzio who is staying with his family at the same Grand Hôtel des Bains on the Lido as Aschenbach.

2.0

Where Love Blooms in the Sky

Aug 10, 2011

The man feels nostalgic when he sees the coastal townscape he hasn't seen in a long time, and when he heads to the beach, his ex is waiting for him. Although he is a model now, he was still in his infancy at the time, and it was thanks to his lover, a government official, that the fire was ignited...but that lover was also demoted and there was no sign of him looking back...

2.0

The Seaside Ballad

Aug 10, 2016

Fujimoto receives a sealed letter from Etsuko, the wife of his lover, Yoshio. It was a sudden obituary that Yoshio, who had been unable to contact him after a petty fight a month ago, died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage. At the gay bar they used to go to, they talk about their memories with master Uehara and regular customer Iwamura. Iwamura invites the grieving Fujimoto to a hotel to comfort him. However, she realizes that Fujimoto's affection for Yoshio is deep, so she gives up and breaks up with him.

5.5

Dry Cleaning

Sep 24, 1997

A bored couple takes in a young man who turns their lives inside out.

6.7

La León

Jul 11, 2007

Deep in the lush river jungles of Argentina, Alvaro lives a solitary existence fishing and harvesting reeds. What sets him apart from the rest of his village is that he is gay. There are no other gay men in his world, his only means of expression is with the occasional outsider who passes through. Most of these men come via the river taxi El León, whose captain El Turu is a mean man with a homophobic streak and a secret. When illegal loggers appear in the jungle El Turu accuses Alvaro of aiding them, a dispute which leads both men towards confrontation.

4.0

The Tune of Our Dreams

Jul 7, 2007

Yasu plays guitar on the street every night. A young stranger, Dare, stands in front of him. Yasu instantly feels a faint infatuation with Dare, who expresses a straightforward opinion, and takes him to his apartment, where he has no place to return to. The room was occupied by Yasu's friends Otto and Bohra, a comic duo, and Sekken, who works part-time with Yasu and whose dream is to become a full-time employee. Dare felt comfortable in the atmosphere. Yasu told him to stay as long as he wanted. And soon her feelings for him grew stronger.

2.0

Two Lovers

Mar 2, 2002

Hiro and Makio began living together shortly after they started dating. Hiro had also moved in with his former girlfriend Mitsuru, but Makio did not pry into that and silently burned Mitsuru's picture. From then on, Makio began to lose his memory from time to time. Whenever he lost his memory, Hiro felt something eerie about Makio's unusual behavior. This is because he resembles Mitsuru's appearance. Hiro begins to search for Mitsuru, but finds no clues. Then, Makio asks him, “Why did you leave me?” and he fainted. The two decide to confront the mystery. One day, Makio finds a man who looks like Mitsuru and chases after him. Kazuki, an exorcist, stops him. He tells Makio that a terrifying spirit is haunting him. Makio asks him to exorcise the spirit... Can you believe it? Can you believe in the supreme love of madness?

4.1

Shakespeare's Sonnets

Jan 1, 2005

A Harvard dandy circa 1946 lures his best friend away from the privileges of conformity.

2.0

Rose Story: Give Me Love

Aug 3, 1991

Kanamori, the master of a homo bar, had come fishing with Minami and Tsubasa, who work as hosts at the bar. Kanamori has just lost his beloved host Takashi in an accident. It was a heartbreaking trip for him... Minami and Tsubasa confirm their love for each other at an inn, leaving Kanamori immersed in fishing.

3.9

Arvéd

Aug 25, 2022

The real fate of Jiří Arvéd Smíchovský, a prominent hermeticist, occultist, believer in black magic and an exceptionally well-educated person with a brilliant memory. This avid book lover had doctorates in law, theology and philosophy and was fluent in five languages. He was interested in occult teachings, practiced magical ceremonies, was in contact with the Freemasons, but at the same time he was a member of the National Fascist Community while being homosexual. During the war he cooperated with the Nazis, after the war with the communist StB.

5.3

Fine Dead Girls

Jul 24, 2002

Iva and Marija, a young lesbian couple, rent an apartment in Zagreb, in a building that seems to provide a quiet and safe environment for their love, but over time the atmosphere in the building becomes more and more threatening. The elder landlady Olga dominates the building. Other tenants include her calm husband, her grown-up son Daniel who has a crush on Iva, the prostitute Lidija, an abused housewife, a widower keeping the corpse of his newly deceased wife, a gynecologist performing abortions in one flat of the house, and an ex-soldier who regularly plays martial music at night. After Olga finds out that Iva and Marija are lesbians, the situation escalates .

7.2

Milk

Nov 5, 2008

The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.