The Hell-Fated Courtesan

With the wild abandon of shunga and mid-70s Italian sexploitation films, this study of sadomasochism during the Edo period is a hypnotic, engrossing mystery. Directed by master of eroticism Noboru Tanaka (whose work would go on to inspire In the Realm of the Senses) Hell-Fated Courtesan is a “confidential report” of members of the Japanese royal family seeking to appease a “Death Goddess” (played by Rie Nakagawa) through ritualistic temple sex.

Series: NYFF Velvet Bullets and Steel Kisses: Celebrating the Nikkatsu Centennial

Venue: New York Film Festival