7. MOP by Joon Goh (Malaysia)
Films focusing on eroticism, much less S&M are not exactly common in titles coming from ASEAN countries, and even more so from Malaysia, one of the strictest countries in the area regarding what is depicted on cinema. Joon Goh, however, manages to present a film that deals exactly with that, in a style that both implies and is eloquent about what is going on.
8. Who’ll Stop the Rain by Su I-hsuan (Taiwan)
On the other hand, Lily Lee as Chi-wei is quite convincing both in her puzzlement, in the case of the triangle, and in her decisiveness, in the case of her attitude towards the chairman and the advances of another classmate. Her chemistry with Yeh is also excellent, finding its apogee in the subtle and overall artistic erotic scenes, in one of the best traits of the movie, with the same applying to the way her coming-of-age progresses.
9. Hand by Daigo Matsui (Japan)
Daigo Matsui directs a film that seems to retain the first pinku rule about the frequency of erotic scenes in the movie, in a way, though, that is organic to the narrative for the most part, and by no means pornographic. Evidently in a rather hard to accomplish feat, he tries to embed the erotic aspect within a “typical” Japanese indie drama, an effort that is easy to say he succeeds in, as the comments here are at least as prevalent as the titillation.
10. Manji by Kishu Izuchi (Japan)
Sonoko Kakiuchi, the owner of a select clothing store, is passionate about running the store with the support of her husband, Kotaro, a dentist. One day, Sonoko asks Kotaro for a good model, and he introduces her to a young woman named Mitsuko. Mitsuko was a waitress at a coffee shop where Kotaro happened to drop by. Sonoko immediately sets out to photograph Mitsuko for a new clothing line. Sonoko is absorbed in taking pictures of Mitsuko, who poses pretentiously. Later, the clothes modeled by Mitsuko sell like hotcakes, especially among the young customers. Through their work, Sonoko and Mitsuko become close friends, and the two appear to be so close that they are mistaken for sisters. One day, they took a drive to the beach for a photo shoot. One day, they drive to the beach for a photo shoot, and when dusk falls, Sonoko and Mitsuko are reluctant to leave, and their lips begin to lock. When Sonoko’s suppressed feelings well up and she strongly desires Mitsuko, Mitsuko accepts it with pleasure. The two women make love, awkwardly at first, and then more and more intensely. Later, however, a man named Eiji, who claims to be Mitsuko’s boyfriend, arrives at the store. Age, who is aware of Mitsuko and Sonoko’s relationship, says, “Let’s share Mitsuko. Around the same time, Kotaro discovers evidence that supports their affair… (CD Japan)
11. Naked Nations – Tribe Hong Kong by Scud (Hong Kong)
At the same time, “Naked Nations – Tribe Hong Kong Story” is a (homosexual) love story, with Scud focusing more on two particular ones, one of which includes himself frequently in the nude, in a decision that could be perceived as both a ‘thank you’ to all the actors he has featured naked in his film and a homage to his films of the past. That this aspect includes lengthy and quite realistic sex scenes adds much to the aesthetics here, with the camera pulling no punches in their depiction. It is these scenes that also allow for what could be described as a self-indulgent sausage fest to be induced with some context and become part of the narrative, in a rather intelligent approach to the whole thing.
12. A Spoiling Rain by Haruhiko Arai (Japan)
