Review of Snakes and Earrings (2008 Film):

Like the wonderful book this was based on, the film is a small little gem. One that revolves around just three people. It explores the ‘dark’ world they come from, full of piercings, tattoos and rough sex. The film is very sensual but doesn’t exclude passion from proceedings. Everything in the film is detailed as some form of release from the suffocating world each character finds them self in. Shot with utter simplicity, the development of the main tattoo is the perfect metaphor for the development of the female lead, as she becomes entwined with demons. The shots are calm and well considered, each one bringing to life a darker world in an accessible way. An excellent adaptation.

First, the film has some flaws but it’s faithful, read the book, it’s true to the book, yet the book makes things more interesting, the perspective of the book is always superior. To see all this borders masochism more than the desires of the protagonist. I loved seeing Shun Oguri and Tatsuya Fujiwara as gangsters … a plus. Yuriko Yoshitaka’s acting is convincing but not perfect and Arata is unrecognizable in this film. Yes, it’s an adult movie, it requires up to a certain description to watch. I confess not to be a fan of tattoos and extravagant piercings among other things that the film shows, as I had read the book, I could not stop checking his film. I like the music. It was used at the right times. That’s nice. It gave life to the film. Positive point. Also, I liked its aesthetic appearance, not what you would see in ordinary movies. Performance was also good, cast is to be congratulated.