Second Run: Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974 (1974)

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In his autobiography Camera Obtrusa, Kazuo Hara speaks candidly about his obsession with pulling out and filming the most intimate parts of a person. He is not interested in romanticizing his subjects; he wants to find the deepest aspects of their inner emotions. 

Extreme Private Eros encapsulates all of his views on romance, fear, love, heartbreak, joy, and confusion. Hara was dating a headstrong woman named Miyuki Takeda when, out of the blue, after having a child with him, Miyuki decides she wants to leave him and move to Okinawa. Instead of trying to stop her, Hara follows her and films her new relationships; one with a woman and another with a black serviceman.

Hara completely immerses himself, living with Miyuki and her girlfriend, Sugako, and filming their quarrels. He has a way of framing each sequence perfectly to capture small moments and facial expressions, transcending the detached style of most documentaries with oftentimes uncomfortable intimacy. 





These are raw vignettes of unfettered emotions, with Hara himself even breaking down into tears at one point while interviewing Miyuki about her new boyfriend. One might question Hara's motives in putting himself into these volatile situations, and perhaps, in a strange way, this is some sort of fetishistic journey he is embarking on. He craves the truth no matter how hard it is to bear. 

Extreme Private Eros isn't all conflict and strife; it contains beautiful moments as well. There is a sequence where Hara holds Miyuki's face in close-up while making love to her. Miyuki also had him film the birth of her child at home, a scene that is blurry because Hara was too nervous to notice the camera was out of focus. Hara's new girlfriend becomes pregnant, and he films that birth as well. Both of these birthing scenes are extremely graphic, but also seeing new life being brought into the world is something to behold. 

It's a film about the connections people make with each other and the love they may hold, even as relationship statuses shift over the years. From a technical standpoint, the film is quite rough, with sound and image rarely synchronized, but despite these shortcomings, it remains compelling. Miyuki is a fascinating woman; extremely independent, fiercely stubborn, bisexual, and freethinking. One can imagine how radical this was in 1974, and even now it would raise some eyebrows. It's easy to see why Hara was fascinated by her. There is a fine line between depiction and voyeurism, and Hara is happy to obliterate it completely.

Extras: 

The first essay in the booklet, by Tony Rayns, is an excellent overview of Okinawa's history and its influence on Japanese media, especially filmmaking. It also dives into some background on Hara as well as the political and sexual ramifications of his work.

Ela Bittencourt's essay is more interested in Miyuki's persona and her motivations, as well as how her radically progressive tendencies might have been viewed during the '70s. She also analyzes Hara's reasons for making the documentary, as well as the idea that the viewer might never get the full story about Miyuki because Hara has the final word in the film's final edit. Quite a fascinating piece. 

The film also includes a short introduction by Chris Fujiwara, in which he discusses how Hara excludes himself from the documentary yet still shows the nuances of his relationship with Miyuki.

If one is curious about how the director himself feels about his work, there is an interview, moderated by Julian Ross, that covers Hara's reasons for making the film, some behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and his personal philosophy on the purpose of documentaries. 


Second Run Blu-ray Extras:

Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974 (Gokushiteki Erosu: Renka 1974) presented complete and uncut from a new HD transfer of original materials, approved by director Kazuo Hara.

• Kazuo Hara Masterclass: the director in conversation at the 2018 International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

• An exclusive, newly filmed appreciation by author and film critic Chris Fujiwara.

• Trailer

• 20-page booklet with with new writing by author and critic Tony Rayns, and an essay by film writer Ela Bittencourt.

• New and improved English subtitle translation.

• Region free Blu-ray (A/B/C).


--Michelle Kisner