What it’s about
Why we love it
Imamura’s sharp Oedipal satire was risqu and far ahead of its time in 1966, tackling themes of incest and sexual perversion in a contemporary Japanese family. Ever fascinated with the lower quarters of society and the human body, Imamura delights in registering the bizarre ways in which affection can be placed and misplaced, or simply twisted in knots, as with Haru and her too-affectionate son, Koichi. Mr. Ogata, meanwhile, looks at his blue movies as a kind of public service, and one could say the same for the director, who uses dark humor in his stylish depiction of such lurid but fondly human subject matter. Made with consummate skill by a Japanese master, “The Pornographers” is a seductive look at the kinks of love and longing. Still, decidedly not for all tastes.