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This movie was recommended by a good friend of mine about four years ago. She dubbed this movie as one of her ultimate favorite movies without mentioning the reasons why. “You only need to watch it. It takes four hours but it doesn’t feel that long”, she said. I was curious at that time but I chickened out due to the extremely long duration. However, earlier this week, I mustered up the courage and energy to watch the movie before bedtime (I watched it at 10.30 p.m. bye!). I remember telling myself that I wouldn’t reach half of the movie but I was wrong! I WATCHED THE WHOLE MOVIE IN ONE SITTING ONLY (which was quite an accomplishment, heuheuheu) and I WAS BLOWN AWAY.
Love Exposure is a bizarre and spellbinding love story that deals with intricate issues regarding Catholicism, cult, domestic violence, obsession, and self-discovery. The representations of those issues are bizarre but painfully accurate.Another thing that captivates me is the selections of Taize songs that are used to “serenade” some pivotal scenes in the movie. As an example, a Taize song entitled “Adoramus te Domine” (which is roughly translated as “I adore/glorify You, Lord), is put in the scene when Yu (the main protagonist) finally comes into the realization that he falls in love with Yoko (who he often regards as “My Maria”). In that scene, he revisits the moment where Yu and Yoko meet for the first time, which is filled with mutual fascination and admiration for each other. I don’t know why but the scene just fits too well with the scene as both revolve around admiration or love. It seems like Tomohide Harada (the music director of the movie) understands that the song perfectly echoes deep admiration.
Watching Love Exposure enables you to feel a variety of feelings.It’s a romantic movie which doesn’t solely makes you sad and happy. It makes you annoyed, overjoyed, hopeful, and even frightened. Wooo, how fun that sounds!