Movies: A Woman Called Sada Abe

Yet another treatment of the Sada Abe story, released almost back-to-back with In the Realm of the Senses, and which covers much of the same territory if not with the same level of explicitness. Not bad as far as these things go, just redundant; it entertains, but it’s not anyone’s idea of essential or vital. Directed by Noboru Tanaka, who also gave us the equally grim Edogawa Rampo adaptation Walker in the Attic, but let’s face it — he's no Nagisa Oshima.