Probably the source of one of the most characteristic images of Roman Porno (the one featured) here, “The Oldest Profession (aka Confidential Report: Sex Market or Secret Chronicle: She Beast Market), is among the most distinctive titles of the category, was restored in 2021 by Nikkatsu, screened in Venice in 2022 and is now finding its way in Camera Japan.
The Oldest Profession is screening at Camera Japan
It's the height of summer in Kamagasaki, home to Tsutenkaku Tower, which overlooks Osaka. 19-year-old Tome quarrels with the proprietress of a small restaurant that has been arranging her sex services, striking out on her own. Life for a lonely prostitute, however, is not easy, and even more for Tome, who has to live with her mother, also a sex worker who is jealous of her, and her mentally handicapped younger brother, Saneo, who is looking towards her to satisfy his sexual needs, something she is not exactly negative for. Tome has no issue having sex with anyone, as long as there is pay, and soliciting customers in streets, bars, restaurants, even the train is not a problem for her. However, he frequently finds herself the victim of violence, from her mother, who is angry with her for sleeping with her lover, and a pimp, that threatens her to go back to her old place, not to mention having to deal with a wanted man that seems to have a thing for her. She never backs down, however, insisting on her individuality, constantly on the search for a new client.
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In a second arc, her previous boss finds a new girl, Fumie, which is when the aforementioned pimp leaves Tome alone. Fumie is actually in the profession to help her boyfriend who needs to replace money he stole, but eventually gets in over her head, ending up deserted by him, and in the company of a pimp who manipulates her. Eventually her boyfriend reappears, carrying a sex doll with him.
Shot mostly in monochrome with handheld cameras, Noboru Tanaka's bolsters a feel that reminds intently of a documentary, although the proceedings of the story make it quite clear that this is a Roman Porno movie, with the rule about the frequency of sex scenes being quite intensely implemented here. On the other hand, the series of vignettes that comprise its narrative, point towards late 60s European art-house, while the cameos by dancer/political activist Genshu Hanayagi (of Eat the Kimono notoriety) and poet Sakumi Hagiwara, also induce it with a counter-culture hypostasis.
The story itself is quite intriguing due to Tome, who manages to combine the financial need to have sex with men in order to survive, with an intense will for individuality, which allows no one, including men that are more physically powerful than her, or even her own bitter mother, to sway her in their own way. That she is not even looking for a way out, adds even more to this, in contrast to any notion of melodrama or bittersweetness. This essentially anarchic attitude of hers is as politically relevant, as it is captivating to watch, with Takana stressing this last fact even more through the character of Fumie, who follows an essentially opposite path that leads to her demise.
Apart from general context, however, the movie thrives through its individual episodes, with the sex doll suicide, the feud with the mother for the same lovers, the wanted man and his overall demeanor, and the interactions with various pimps, all being quite entertaining in their presentation. In that fashion, Shinya Inoue's editing emerges as one of the best traits of the movie, with his cuts being quite well placed, while resulting in a fast pace that suits the episodic style of the narrative perfectly.
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DP Shohei Ando captures the sex scenes with no punches pulled, including the ones featuring the mother, which never gets naked however. The close-ups are intense and the sound occasionally brutally realistic, with Ando and Tanaka, though, retaining the sense of sensualism throughout the plethora of erotic scenes in the movie. For that, they definitely owe much to gorgeous Meika Seri, who manages to appear to enjoy herself and having the upper hand even in the harshest situations, while looking sexy at all times, even when she is just walking on the street. Junko Miyashita is also quite good as Fumie, with her antithesis in both demeanor and appearance with Seri working pretty well for the film. Genshu Hanayagi as Tome's mother occasionally steals the show with her violent bitterness, and also functions well as the personification of the future her daughter might have, if she wasn't who she is.
Also of note is the way Tanaka has interspersed humor throughout the movie, even within the sex scenes, with the scene with the cigarette close to the end, the whole sex doll arc, and the chicken sequence (which is actually in color) being indicative of his style in the film.
“The Oldest Profession” is a very entertaining and artful movie, which highlights, once more, the level the Japanese pinku films of the time could reach.
