It seems the inherent conservatism of the majority of Asian countries prevailed this year, and there were very few entries that could be described as erotic, even if mildly. We still managed to find a few however, even if most of them come from Japan, the only country who seems at least partially unfased by the aforementioned consumerism, even if the Roman Porno relaunch seems to be somewhat on hiatus at least from Nikkatsu’s side.
In this list, we tried to focus on titles where the erotic is one of the key elements, while trying to stay away from exploitation or soft-porn (S. Korean and Filipino cinema is filled with these btw) for the most part, instead focusing on “regular” movies that simply include this aspect, in order to titillate or even make their comments through it. Without further ado here is the list, in random order. Some films premiered in 2023 (a number actually), but since they mostly circulated in 2024, we decided to include them.
1. Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry (Elena Naveriani, Georgia)
Granted, films about the sex life of 48-year-olds are not exactly plentiful in cinema, and even when they do, the women look like Monica Bellucci in her 48. This time, however, Elena Naveriani focuses on a rather ‘normal’ looking woman, even moving a step forward, by having her repeatedly appear in sex scenes or just plainly naked, in a choice that appears both utterly realistic and as an act defiance towards the standards of beauty in cinema. That the same treatment also concerns Murman, cements this approach in the most impactful fashion.
2. A Spoiling Rain (Haruhiko Arai, Japan)
The dialogue-heavy approach of the main arc, as much as the intense drinking, will probably remind many of Hong Sang-soo’s work, also for the focus on failed filmmakers and lousy men, but the past arcs move the narrative somewhat away from these aesthetics, as much as the erotic element, which eventually reaches this arc too, in probably the most pinku-like sequence of the movie. The two past arcs are more heavily erotic, with the sex scenes, though, being grounded in realism for the most part, and done in quite tasteful ways.
3. (Ab)normal Desire (Yoshiyuki Kishi, Japan)
In that fashion, most of the protagonists seem to represent a group that strays away from what society considers normal. The kid that does not want to go to school but prefers to be a YouTuber, the youths who just want to indulge into their fetishes and not follow the ‘normal’ path of good job, family and kids, and the agoraphobic who is trying to connect are parts of the same comment, as mentioned above. At the same time, what Kishi seems to state is that essentially what all of them are searching for is love and understanding, most of them from a partner and the kid from his father. In the same line, Hiroki seems to represent the average Japanese (and the authorities), with his conservatism and his lack of knowledge and understanding, which are the aspects that lead him away from his family.
4. Lust in the Air (Shinzo Katayama, Japan)
At the same time, the chaos extends to the genres here. Romance may be in the center, also including a number of steamy but also artistically shot sex scenes, but elements of thriller, horror, comedy, action and drama are also found in plenty. The scene in the house of Imori will definitely stay in mind, as the one that managed to incorporate almost all of the above, in one of the most memorable scenes in the movie.
5. Sex and Secret (Vlad Ankhaa, Mongolia)
Vlad Ankhaa directs an erotic film that differs significantly from the many in the category. For starters, the erotic scenes are not that many, but are quite long instead, in an approach that works quite well in terms of titillation. Furthermore, apart from the erotic aspect, the visuals, courtesy of DP Enkhbayar Enkhtur, follow neo-noir paths, which are eventually transformed into an avant-garde approach close to the end, which turns the movie completely into a psychological thriller. Lastly, the club scenes, which frequently function as music-video like sequences, add even more to the visual flair here.
