Guilty Of Romance Review

Single white female meets Belle de Jour via trashy cop thriller in this conclusion to Shion Sono’s Hate trilogy. Submissive housewife Izumi (Megumi Kagurazaka) accepts a job as a model, unaware that it’s basically porn. She’s soon exploring local love hotels with a variety of underworld characters. Meanwhile, a female detective is investigating a murder that clearly involves Izumi. This toys with some terrific ideas, styles and characters, but it’s wildly confused about its message, especially where women are concerned. It’s also long and overcrowded with characters. Still, it’s a conversation starter: a cultish exploration of female sexuality in a culture dominated by prostitution and patriarchy.