Big Bang Love, Juvenile A

Among contemporary filmmakers, Miike Takashi has established a reputation as the most prolific, most shocking, most violent, most innovative, most fearless—in short, simply the most. That reputation is sure to be enhanced by this highly stylised piece of homoerotica set in a boys' prison. While there are resemblances to Oshima’s Gohatto, the strongest influences are those of Genet and Fassbinder. The film, adapted from Ato Masaki’s graphic novel Elegy for Boy, begins with modern dance, works its way through the investigation of the murder of an inmate, and finally moves out of its stylised environment into everyday reality. The implication is that society functions as the larger prison. Crime, homosexuality and violence are all embraced as transgressions against the repressive social order. Beyond the walls of this prison, two options incongruously beckon to the inmates: a pyramid leading maybe to heaven, and a rocket ship leading only to the void of space (which is probably the better choice). If you believe that the greatest beauty is that which cuts the deepest and shocks the most profoundly, Miike has made a film that will thrill as deeply as it will disturb.

Enigmatic and visually mesmerizing, Big Bang Love, Juvenile A lies at the core of Miike's moral universe like a rare, precious stone shining with intensity.

Toronto International Film Festival