Hayato returns to the small village where he grew up in order to take care of his father's farm, who is unable to work because of a leg injury. He returns with his wife Ami, who is dysfunctional and depressed due to the trauma she experienced while in the big city. Hayato believes that bringing Ami to a small town will help her refocus her mind and to move on with her life. However, Ami struggles to fit in among Hayato's friends and father, and as Hayato plays the role of devoted son and husband Ami's attention begins to wander.
Feeling rejected within her new surroundings, Ami strives to gain an ally in Hayato's father. She chooses to seduce the man in order to win her favor in an act that causes the entire family inner turmoil. Adding to the couple's relationship strain is Hayato's childhood friend, who although in a relationship, still has feelings for him. When the community starts to learn of the affair, the three are forced to make drastic choices.
Dependence is available from Pink Eiga
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The most notable aspect of “Dependence” lies within the script, specifically within the character of Ami. With Ami, we get a rather odd protagonist within the Pink genre, as she contains a certain fragility and a standoff attitude that makes the character feel isolated. Within exploitation cinema, the women seem to have some control over their sexuality, and although Ami does choose her partners, it seems to come from a rather sad and flawed mentality. With an odd instability, the film creates a unique sense of tension. Ami's husband, Hayato, also plays a unique character within the genre. He is a dedicated husband to a fault and his sincerity and kind nature makes it easy to empathize with him. Given most pink films take an easier route of having affairs that seem more justified due to incompetence or neglect from a partner, it was a refreshing take on troubled relationships.
The rest of the cast also fits nicely within the narrative, making for a compelling story. The film's final conclusion has a certain sense of absurdity within it that also took me by surprise, given the rest of the tone of the film. Although the abrupt ending may be surprising, it seems to suit to the characters weaknesses and desires. The entire story is rather emotionally charged and I found I was rather hard pressed to nail down single descriptive words that define the end product. Luckily, with the character choices, the story still stays true to the Pink film formula, that fans will be familiar with.
The movie is well cast and finds a good star for Ami in Akebi Futsumoto. Although it is hard to heap too much praise given the silent and timid nature of the character, the acting does not feel forced and the few times she does show confidence it seems convincing and not in stark contrast of the timid nature that accounts for most of the performance. Seasoned actors Kazuhiro Sano, and Mari Yamaguchi also help heighten the film with memorable performances.
Utilizing his cast and scripting work it is great to see a filmmaker able to focus on the core selling point of the genre, in the erotic scenes. These are very well executed, they have a realistic feeling to them that makes the characters seem emotionally invested in their romantic affairs. This aspect is not essential for my own appreciation within the genre but is greatly appreciated when care is taken to craft grounded and titillating erotic scenarios.
Director Yuji Tajiri is a talent within the exploitation genre whom should get more recognition. Having a vested interest in exploitation cinema, I will admit that some of the productions tend to blend together and become rather forgettable. It is productions like this that keep me invested in the genre, by utilizing the same structure as other pink films, but putting an emphasis on characters and story building with an apparent sincerity of the exploitation genre, that make it stand out from the crowd. Given my largely positive response to this production as well as “Twitch, You Are My Toy” I am hopeful that Tajiri's work will gain deeper recognition and lead to more of his work being made available in the west.
