IFFR 2021 - Sexual Drive
Subtle eroticism and sex without ever showing the acts that Hollywood have hounded to the ends of the Earth in their pursuit of cash and exploitation dominate Sexual Drive. The latest film from Kōta Yoshida, and another in the long line of somewhat-skimpy productions he finds himself attracted to. Hollywood may be overbearing with how they utilise the sexed-up world of the celebrities and characters that dominate the screen, but for Sexual Drive, there is no sense of narrative importance, no real or truthful desire to bring about a topic of conversation on a failing marriage in dire need of an aphrodisiac.
There is more to Sexual Drive than just one story. A trilogy of films that share the same desires and topics is only as good as the weakest story, but here each carries with it a general sense of mediocrity. Nothing exceptionally dreadful, nor anything that will mark itself out as a fascinating, thought-provoking piece. There are worse ways to spend seventy minutes though, Sexual Drive lingers on the mind for about as long too, with little to unpack and even less to highlight as a shining beacon of flag bearing filmmaking.
These nicely shot empty moments are a test of endurance, for Yoshida wishes to push the boundaries of gross, simplistic dialogue. Stifled dialogue makes for uninteresting characters, and no matter how engrossing the cinematography and technical wonders are, Sexual Drive has a lack of substance to it. With these underwhelming characters comes a severe lack of clarity for the messages, or care for the characters. How can an audience expect to entertain characters that show such lacking variety?
Perverse without any justifiable meaning behind it, the allusions are worse than the act within Sexual Drive, and perhaps that is the most defining and engaging part of it all. Yoshida has a good eye for direction and he knows where his story must go, battering away any of the frivolous ideas he has that would derail the narrative. A film that has conflict right at its centre but sails along with calming notions of frank, simplistic cinematography. The only clarity found throughout is that Sexual Drive doesn’t have much drive behind its story.