Diary entries forThe Forest of Love
The Forest of Love
Shocktober 24/31 ...this was...this was a lot I'm sure if you're even somewhat familiar with Sion Sono and his work, you expected that before you hit Play on The Forest of Love, the latest addition to his filmography that came to Netflix days ago. Before today I'd only seen Coldfish and Why Don't You Play In Hell?, and even I expected it If you watch The Forest of Love, you get way more than you bargained for. Far more than you could have expected. If the year didn't already have Midsommar, it'd be my uncontested film of 2019. And before I go any further, I must say there are two films I've watched and logged on here that I consider genuinely great but wondered, question, and still do doubt if I can completely recommend them. Before it was only Lars Von Trier's The House That Jack Built. Now I add Sion Sono's The Forest of Love to that list This is 2.5 hours that lack much if any relent. The most calming and peaceful moments you get are at the beginning when the loner virgin Shin, while taking in the wonders of Tokyo, gets introduced to two would-be filmmakers, who become friends and decide to make a film together I tell you this, and I tell you "a killer's on the loose, the filmmakers suspect it's a con man named Murata, and they decide to make a film about it in hopes the authenticity will legitimize them enough they can win a film festival prize". I tell you those plot details only because over the following 2 hours after both of those are established, not only do you begin to distrust anything else you see from anyone onscreen, but you begin to distrust even those details too In the midst of it all, all the chaos you expect and all the sanity you don't, is abuse, a lesbian Romeo and Juliet story (in play form and in life), suicides and attempted suicides, electrocutions, broken families, lies and truths (and lies that sound like truths and truths that sound like lies) [and even lies that end up becoming truths], a bank scene that goes from surreal black comedy to uncomfortable jawdropping horror at basically the blink of an eye, and a 3-minute long extended scene of people learning how to properly cut up and spread out a body in order to hide evidence The beginning says it's based on true events, but by the end you're left wondering how much of it was on a true crime, and how much of it was on own experiences. If Annihilation was the most perfect film about depression I've ever seen, and Midsommar had the most authentic depiction of grief and depression I've ever seen on-screen, I can't say I've seen a more realistic example of toxic relationship play out in a film than I experienced through the entire second half of The Forest of Love. Whether it's utterly throwing yourself at someone who's around because they're there, trusting someone because you've got nothing left to believe in, not trying to leave when the door's open because you don't know anything or anyone else on the outside, or just not even trying because you don't feel you deserve happiness if it's not in the form of him And at the end, you're not always going to escape it I found myself hitting Pause a lot. Even before the end credits I found myself crying a lot. This isn't for everyone. Hell, I could believe Sono only made this for himself. And like I said, I don't even know if I feel comfortable recommending it regardless. But if you're not completely turned off by everything mentioned here, I will say I think this deserves a chance. I'm not experienced enough in delving through his filmography to say if this is indeed Sion Sono's masterpiece. I am sure, however, that he's a director that will continue to find appreciation, especially for contributions like this, long after he's gone. And I am sure I won't forget The Forest of Love
The Forest of Love
This reminded me of Theorem, if the visitor was a total ass, with glimpses of other movies (Death in Venice theme), with the twisty ending. But actually, it feels like a current Sono's "Biggest Hits" remix. Apparently, a radio remix. Pretty interesting examination, with layers of crack, of "free will", a commentary of "desyntetized" humanity, masquerade as a comic/sado/exploitation/vampire flick. You know, pure Sono. Mesmerizing. Why until now i watched this?
The Forest of Love
Sono has his foot on the accelerator, never letting up, leaving viewers completely breathless in The Forest of Love, which typically is draining, but gives this film new life. Sion Sono has become one of my favorite contemporary filmmakers, with every film managing to impress me more and more. Netflix releases The Forest of Love, and it seems they just gave him money and said “go to town”, since this is unadulterated Sono, offering teenage schoolgirls, amateur filmmakers, and exuberant amounts of gore - this truly feels like a culmination of Sono’s films (that I have seen, at least), and it makes for one of the strongest films of the year. I cannot wait to see more from Sono, and cannot believe there hasn’t been much talk about this film, as it truly is one of the year’s most spectacular spectacles.
