Tokyo Decadence

The subculture of BDSM is vast in its categorisation being that the acronym stands for bondage, discipline, domination, submission, sadism, masochism, master, slave all of which explode in Ryu Murakami’s dark, sometimes comic sometimes sweet but always vulgar film Tokyo Decadence. The outline of the film is that of a subservient 22 year old woman named Ai who works as a mistress, servicing all kinds of clientele from controlling mafia or corporate bosses to hedonistic rich but extremely nutty/flamboyant layabouts to pathetic salarymen who crave humiliation.

The opening pre-credit scene is just a taster of what Ai is to go through, as we see her tied up, mouth gagged, eyes blindfolded and legs spread, being complimented by the client for her tolerance for this sort of treatment. Before the opening credits roll there is a close-up of Ai’s face which is held for several moments, allowing the viewer an intimate opportunity to acquaint themselves and connect with her. The shot utilises a technique that Ingmar Bergman is famous for and is most notably reminiscent of his films Persona and The Life of the Marionettes; two films which not only deal with figures of unstable sexuality and identities but also have violent and possibly sadomasochistic tendencies.

The film is loaded with fascinating and odd characters just like you might expect from the master of fascinating and odd, David Lynch. The prime example of this would be Ai and Dorothy Vallens from Blue Velvet. Though they both have different temperaments, the latter being volatile and borderline psychotic whilst Ai is tame and mild, they are both emotionally disturbed and dependent women, succumbing to being treated as slaves to overcome the loss of a loved one; Ai has lost a lover and Dorothy her son. Dorothy’s desperate attachments and need for punishment is reflected in Ai though isn’t as obvious in her attitude; largely because Ai has no attitude. Then there is the sadism of Frank Booth which is mirrored in Tokyo Decadence, not by another aggressive male figure but by a female dominatrix named Saki who Ai befriends. The way she treats her subject dubbed “Turtlehead” is despicable, forcing him to drink Ai’s urine and sodomising him with a strap on. Sigmund Freud thought masochism was so inherent in female sexuality that it couldn’t be distinguished as a separate preference however given Saki’s inclination to sadist behavior and refusal to submit, is this really accurate.

Another more subtle example would be an old fortune teller who Ai goes to see to pass time before an appointment. The location of the teller seems to be a tunnel of some kind and her appearance is foreboding and sinister. She has a pale face and lips painted crimson. Her clothing is ancient but elegant (think Ascot) and instead of looking into a crystal ball to prophesise, she uses a magnifying glass to examine what looks to be a mushroom; a distorted version of the Twin Peaks Log Lady meets Lost Highway’s Mystery Man maybe. She goes on to tell Ai, that in order to keep safe she must put a telephone directory under her television, avoid art galleries in the east and where a ring on her finger made of precious pink stone. I liked this segment a lot because it added an element of horror to what I thought was just going to be an S&M drama, but unfortunately it did seem inconsistent and unnecessary given that it was a standalone scene with no impact on events that occured

Characters are not the only thing that Tokyo Decadence has in common with Lynch. Themes of sadomasochism, love pushed to the limits in a dark universe, desire and perversion as well as ambient but chilling lighting and a confused female protagonist who sinks deeper and deeper into organised chaos, are all present and as tight as a whip.

If you are easily offended by filthy language then this film may push your buttons a little; though it is subtitled so it can be avoided with accurately synchronised blinking. It is not that there is bad language throughout, but particular scenes (most notably the initial hotel one) suggest that maybe Murakami was watching some pretty hardcore porno before he drafted them. As for the music, well, it’s pretty atmospheric most of the time but at points a funky but creepy bassline hits, with the wah wah peddle being replaced with minor organ notes.

The camerawork does well in inducing voyeurism and disconnection. What I mean by this is succinctly described in a particular shot whereby the camera is placed outside and at a great distance from a high-rise hotel window, with Ai scantily clad in her bondage gear pressed up against the window and wiggling her hips in a very slow and sensual motion. From this angle the viewer is peeking into one of a number of experiences happening that night; into a world which pushes the viewer’s imagination but also separates them from Ai, making her someone unreachable and lost to us. However then the shot cuts to the room’s interior and the camera completes a 180 degree tracking shot (left to right) of Ai still wiggling, overlooking a panorama of binary lit windows and the nightlife of Tokyo, where you can imagine other dirty bars and strip-clubs in the famous districts of Shinjuku and Kabuki-cho are offering similar services to the white-collar worker, whilst this coked up Kingpin enjoys Ai all to himself. On the other hand you could see it as a juxtaposition of the vibrant, social life of Japan that exists down below and the dark corner of a hotel room where a man indulges in material excesses and satisfies his perverted fantasises. The atmosphere of the section is electrifying.


Don’t go into this expecting Secretary because they belong to two different niches of BDSM. Whilst seeing Mr.Grey (James Spader) smack the cellulite from Lee's (Maggie Gyllenhaal) buttocks or toss himself off over them may have had a smidgen of entertainment shock value given the two actors celebrity status, the play scenes in Tokyo Decadence are not for amateurs and are only beaten in their ability to confront by Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salo which features coprophilia (if you don’t know what this is then it might be best you don’t look it up).

Another way in which this film differs from Secretary is that of the reasons as to why Lee Holloway and Ai become submissives. Lee at first is a shy woman like Ai but with mental difficulties that resulted in self-mutilation. It is only when she starts to work for Mr.Grey that she discovers this new side of herself in which she can derive pleasure, in an erotic but sensitive way, with a man that she has fallen in love with. It becomes a fetish for her and a means of becoming more confident and self-assured. She eventually starts voluntarily setting up situations where she can receive punishment. However for Ai, I don’t believe it to be a natural way for her to find an identity but a means of wallowing in self hatred and emptiness. There is no sense of consciousness to Ai’s behaviour which is destructive and you get the feeling she just does it to make ends meet. Moreover, in a very Woman in White way, she descends into delirium whilst trying to seek out her ex-lover, a sequence which leads her to meet another eccentric female who tries to help her out.


Like Freud Havelock Ellis believed sadism and masochism worked in emotional harmony with one another, though in his opinion sadomasochistic tendencies were done in love and not cruelty. Pain is used to initiate violence in order to express love. Given that the protagonist’s name (Ai) is Japanese for love, maybe her actions should be seen as a way to vicariously reconnect with her lost lover, dealing with the rejection through the violence and degradation put upon her. At one point with the sadistic mafia/businessman she falls to her knees and in tears hugs him tightly as though she thought he were someone else.

In today’s generation sadomasochism has branched out into areas of fantasy and role play moving away from psychological stigma. This is thanks to the advent of film which has made the subject more identifiable and given people an opportunity to see where it’s coming from and understand it as a healthy way of building relationships. Tokyo Decadence however doesn’t really show it in this light but in a darker more destructive one, still not everything has to be done to express or understand and sometimes just plain old sin is all that’s sought.

Tokyo Decadence really is quite decadent, the title being done justice by graphic sexual indulgence, alcohol and drug abuse and a perfect moment, where the wife of a businessman who joined her husband and Ai in a threesome, is seen playing a Gameboy shortly after their session. To see an adult woman casually playing videogames after having re-enacted some perverse fantasy has to make you smile as it is the height of idleness, and shows the constant need for stimulus.