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In the Realm of the Senses

Play trailer Poster for In the Realm of the Senses NC-17 1977 1h 45m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
84% Tomatometer 38 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A former prostitute (Eiko Matsuda), now working as a servant, begins a torrid affair with her married employer (Tatsuya Fuji).
In the Realm of the Senses

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Critics Consensus

Sexual taboos are broken and boundaries crossed In the Realm of the Senses, a fearlessly provocative psychosexual tale.

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Critics Reviews

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Edward Porter The Times (UK) Sep 1, 2009
2/5
Declaring yourself bored by a movie full of explicit sex may sometimes mark you out as a dreary pseudo-sophisticate, but in this case it's fair enough. Go to Full Review David Parkinson Empire Magazine Aug 29, 2009
4/5
Ai No Corrida is an undeniably powerful, stylish and impressive piece of work. Go to Full Review Trevor Johnston Time Out Aug 29, 2009
5/5
Unsanitised, worryingly convincing in its sadomasochistic detail, this is seriously provocative cinema, a telling reminder of what it really means to be dangerous. Go to Full Review Gavin Spoors FILMHOUNDS Magazine Aug 4, 2025
4/5
In the Realm of the Senses is an enthralling, taboo-breaking classic. Go to Full Review Justine Smith Vague Visages Jun 6, 2024
Oshima transgresses on the forbidden nature of sexuality as a private and personal experience. In the Realm of the Senses acts consciously to break down taboos to liberate the audience from their own obsessions. Go to Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia Jun 18, 2023
5/10
As an erotic film, it climaxes in the demanding performances of Eiko Matsuda and Tatsuya Fuji, but I suspect that its marathon exercise in obsessive sexual pleasure remains on a fatiguing and thinly dull surface. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C @dogfood23111 1 hr ago Rated NC-17. See more Ads T @RT11627483 Oct 26, 2026 Were it not for some compelling actors, this is basically a '70s porno. As erotic horror goes, the end of the film is truly shocking. See more Elvis D @Elvis-Del-Valle Mar 30, 2026 L'Empire Des Sens no es para nada una simple película porno, es una historia oscura que expone las prácticas sexuales poco convencionales y su intención es dejar en claro que el placer máximo tiene un precio cuando se va a ciertos extremos. Eso le da bastante valor porque sus escenas pornográficas tienen un punto y la película tiene algo que decir. La película hace un aporte creativo porque es un ejemplo de que se puede contar algo más allá de solo mostrar escenas sexuales. Algo que el arte hentai también haría tras pasar al formato animado poco tiempo después. El mensaje que quiere transmitir es claro y lo muestra de una manera bastante cruda. La película no es apropiada para cualquiera por su crudeza explícita. Hay que ser muy de mente abierta o al menos tener experiencia en el arte de la pornografía japonesa para poder verla y entender su mensaje. Mi calificación final para esta película es un 8/10. See more Mickey B. @Mickerdoo Dec 28, 2025 An erotic tale of obsession. Matsuda is unrelentingly entrancing. Basically a world class adult film. Kid scene is unnecessary. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 24, 2025 Success in 1.75 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Insomniac X @RT03001349 Mar 19, 2025 Transgressive arthouse drama that explores the intersection of sexuality, obsession, and self-destruction. The film desensitizes its audience with continuous explicit material before reaching a climax that still has the power to shock witnesses fifty years later. Fascinating for its psycho-sexual implications -- the character's sexual drives are used to suppress their sense of self before being redirected toward personal obliteration. Its influence can be felt in films such as Lars von Trier's "Antichrist" and "Nymphomaniac." See more Read all reviews
In the Realm of the Senses

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Cast & Crew

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Nagisa Ôshima

Director

Tatsuya Fuji

Kichizo Ishida

Eiko Matsuda

Sada Abe

Aoi Nakajima

Toku

Yasuko Matsui

Tagawa Inn Manager

Meika Seri

Matsuko (Yoshidaya maid)

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In the Realm of the Senses

In the Realm of the Senses (1976) In the Realm of the Senses (1976) In the Realm of the Senses (1976) In the Realm of the Senses (1976) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A former prostitute (Eiko Matsuda), now working as a servant, begins a torrid affair with her married employer (Tatsuya Fuji).
Director
Nagisa Ôshima
Producer
Anatole Dauman
Screenwriter
Nagisa Ôshima
Distributor
Surrogate
Production Co
Argos Films, Shibata Organisation Inc. [jp], Oshima Productions
Rating
NC-17
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 1, 1977, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 23, 2017
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm
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