The Forest of Love Movie (2019) Review

Native Title: 愛なき森で叫べ
Also Known As: Shout in the Loveless Forest , ai naki mori de sakebe
Director: Sono Sion
Writer: Sono Sion
Network: Netflix
Actors: Kippei Shiina, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Kyoko Hinami, Eri Kamataki, Young Dais

Things to expect in this movie:

 

Girl kiss

 

 Compelling female characters

 

 

Dark comedy

 

 

Gore of course

 

 

 

Warning!!! 

It's one of those disturbing films that most people can't handle. I'm not even talking about the gore part but the depiction of women in this film. It's the type of movie where if you are not familiar with the director's filmography or with his intention of making these type films, you may end up hating him, the director for his work. Think of Quentin Tarantino and the criticisms he gets, those type of criticism are nothing compared to what Sion Sono is getting in Japan and especially in the more sensitive western part of our world. You have to be the type of audience for this film to enjoy it.

Now for the review:

 

So to explain the synopsis briefly, we have this charismatic con artist, Murata, who seems to be a serial killer based on the news reports we saw at the beginning of the movie. He is currently targeting a recluse by the name of Mitsuki. Flashback during her high school days, she was involved with the production of school play Romeo and Juliet together with another girl, her first love (Romeo), and another friend Taeko. Their fun times ended in a tragedy as Romeo died in an accident. Present time, Taeko knew Murata would not do anything right as she also fell victim to him, so with the help of her newfound wannabe director friends, they all come together to stop Murata.

The movie is similar to other Sion Sono's work, where the narrative is gripping but not well written. Most of the time, you could not make sense of the actions of the characters. The pacing also has a problem like it could go berserk any minute. The acting is loud, very theatrical, and if there's a thing Sono doesn't know, it is the word subtle. But guess what, Sion Sono doesn't give a damn, to him it's either you go all out or nothing at all. The most important thing to him is to convey the message loud and clear up to the very end. There is even one scene in the movie where Murata was beating up this one character because he's not showing up enough emotions to be angry. Movies are about emotions he said, and that line was like coming from Sono himself.

Everything here shouts Sion Sono like it seems he had no limitation making this movie. It's not like his recent movies where the script is not his or producers have more say than him. He is the archaic type of director who is known for not following the rule, the movie grammar. This movie echoes everything that made Sono a favorite among cult movie fans around the world, such as suicide pacts, compelling female characters, wannabe filmmakers, and of course, gruesome dismemberment. The Forest Of Love is like a compilation of Sono's other acclaimed films like Love Exposure, Cold fish, Suicide Circle, and Why Don't You Play In Hell?

 

All the characters are compelling, and though the plot is not well written, at least the characters are well layered. In the first place, Sono is now known for his story-driven but for his character and theme-driven stories. The performances of all actors are all good but that of course if you took into consideration the theatrical acting Sono required for this movie. Hinami Kyoko, the actress who portrayed Taeko, is the standout for me. I love the depth given to her, and Kyoko played the character perfectly.

As you could probably tell, I'm a huge Sion Sono fan, and I love this film to a point I ended up wanting more. I feel it would have been better if the playful opening part was longer before everything went crazy from the middle to the end. It's impossible to rate a Sion Sono film, for him it's either a hit or a miss. This one is a HIT. It's a definite must watch.