Close Your Eyes and Hold Me

Many Japanese films make heavy use of expressionistic landscapes to externalize the inner worlds of characters and this one is a strong example. The main character (Amane) works in a corporate world shown as gray and filled with angular metal, functional and unencumbered by decoration, a soulless sterile void. A chance encounter with a suicidal woman (Hanabusa) leads him into her world, a silkily sumptuous, richly upholstered place photographed in lush red and yellow tones which promise sensuality and adventure. The story becomes complicated when Hanabusa turns out to be not actually female. Amane's girlfriend further complicates matters as she first confronts and then is seduced by Hanabusa. The film explores Japan's taboo gay subculture and the attitudes of its straight society, while playing out a sexy game of forbidden experimentation. Not for all tastes but worth a look.