Having grown up in a Catholic family, Yu has always been a goody two-shoes kid. After his mother dies, his priest father is seduced by a woman who breaks his heart, causing him to torment Yu by forcing him to confess his sins on a daily basis even when he doesn’t have any to confess! To appease his increasingly demanding father, Yu is determined to become a true sinner, eventually training to become an expert at sneak panty-shot photography and rising to become The King Of Perverts.
One day while hanging out with his friends but dressed like Sasori (the legendary character played by Meiko Kaji) as punishment for being on the losing end of a bet — Yu meets a beautiful girl named Yoko. Their first meeting is a glorious one, beginning with an all-out street brawl and ending with a kiss. There are only two problems: she thinks he’s a woman and worse is to come when the girl of his dreams could become his sister when her ‘mother’ wants to marry his father. But that’s only the beginning when a cult called The Zero Church hatches a master plan to convert a family of Catholics to their faith with one of their promoters – the devious and manipulative Aya Koike targeting Yu and his family.
One of the greatest movies I’ve ever seen and director Sion Sono is a genius. This 4 hour epic has got everything thrown into it including the kitchen sink. Comedy, teenage angst, drama, action, love and more. The actors were magnificent especially Takahiro Nishijima as the lead Yu Honda. I was shocked but amazed to see how far Hikari Mitsushima as Yoko has come from her innocent days in the J-pop idol group Folder5. Not so innocent anymore!!! And as for Sakura Ando as the Cult Of Zero promoter Aya Koike. So stunning yet so devious. I loved her character. Some might think they’ll struggle to watch a 4 hour movie in one go but believe me the hours went by so quickly as you’ll just be so enthralled by the story as it unfolds. This is a movie that should not be missed!
Sadako’s Rating: 5 stars out of 5
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