“A New Love in Tokyo” Finds Beauty of Life in Pain
Most types of jobs have had their workplace turned into a comedy flick, but Banmei Takahashi’s 1994 A New Love in Tokyo might be one of the only instances of a BDSM career comedy. In some parts of the world, A New Love in Tokyo was billed as a sequel to Tokyo Decadence, which was released two years prior from director Ryū Murakami. Both films play a major role in the genre of pink films, Japanese movies from independent studios that have nudity and sexual components. While the ’90s saw a decline in the genre after Nikkatsu, the largest pink film producer in the 1970s and ’80s, filed for bankruptcy, Takahashi’s A New Love in Tokyo made a lasting impact.
In Tokyo, Rei (Sawa Suzuki) and Ayumi (Reiko Kataoka) are sex workers with slightly different focuses. Ayumi is a call girl while Rei is a BDSM dominatrix. The two bond over the strange reality that is their careers, but the film’s scope doesn’t end within the walls of their jobs. A New Love in Tokyo is as interested in their lives outside work as it is in their daily routine at work. Rei dreams of being a full-time actress and performs at a local amateur theatre company. Ayumi is young and listless. She lives with her boyfriend, who struggles to be accepted at any college. Together, Rei and Ayumi have built an unconventional way of living rooted in community.
courtesy of Kani Releasing
This is a workplace comedy but it’s unique, given that sex work isn’t often treated with this level of consideration. Especially not in the 1990s. Even though this is a pink film and there’s plenty of nudity to go around, it never comes across as sensationalized. It’s the reality of what it looks like to clock in as a call girl or dominatrix. There’s no shame or judgment from the filmmakers to the characters, nor is there any judgment within the world of the film. Despite all the whips, chains, and punishments, A New Love in Tokyo is profoundly gentle. It’s a film about being alive. Finding pleasure, finding a passion, and pursuing it. There are moments of fear, where the dark realities of life as a sex worker bubble to the surface, but they are encompassed by a deep love of the people at the heart.
Throughout the film are scattered photographs from Nobuyoshi Araki. He’s famous for his bondage and erotic series of photos, which makes them a perfect accompaniment to the larger narrative of A New Love in Tokyo. Rei, Ayumi, and their friends have built a life on the fringes of society. Their loved ones may not know or respect their profession, but they have each other. Araki’s photos, coupled with the friendships at the heart of A New Love in Tokyo, show a slice of life beyond the norm that’s as whole and complete as any other. This is a hangout movie about the absurdities and contradictions of life. How pain can create pleasure, fleeting connection can endure, and love can blossom in the unlikeliest of places.
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