This film is currently unavailable
Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands
A hitman is hired to track down a kidnapped girl in this hallucinatory mix of erotica and yakuza violence.
Director: Atsushi Yamatoya
Overview
Meeting in a blasted, barren wilderness, the hitman Shô is engaged by wealthy real estate agent Naka to track down his kidnapped lover, Sae. Naka shows him a poor quality film of the girl being beaten and assailed by a gang of four yakuza, which sets Shô out on a trail that brings him back into contact with the gang leader, Ko, who was responsible for the murder of his own girlfriend five years before. As he embarks on his quest through the dreamlike cityscapes of the late-60s Tokyo underworld for a fateful 3pm barroom rendezvous with his nemesis, Sho becomes increasingly unsure as to whether the girl really existed in the first place.
Yamatoya’s wrote Inflatable Sex Doll of the Wastelands concurrently with his anonymous contribution to the script for Suzuki Seijun’s legendary Branded to Kill, released four months earlier. Similarly shot in stunning monochrome scope, it is as hallucinatory, fragmentary and surreal as its companion piece, and stands as a testament to just how flexible the Pink Film (Japanese erotica) formula could be in its first decade.
sexual content, violence
Related
The Kingdom The Kingdom
Crime 2024 111 mins Director: Julien Colonna
A teenager is taken to a Corsican villa where her fugitive mob boss father is hiding, before an assassination attempt forces them to go on the run.
Sex & Fury Sex & Fury
Crime 1973 89 mins Director: Norifumi Suzuki
This wildly violent ‘70s Japanese sexploitation film about a gambler hunting her father’s killers was a key influence on Tarantino’s Kill Bill series.
Nightcrawler Nightcrawler
Crime 2014 118 mins Director: Dan Gilroy
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a crime journalist scouring the streets of after-dark LA in a stylish thriller that examines the morals of mass media.
G.B.H. Grievous Bodily Harm G.B.H. Grievous Bodily Harm
Thriller 1983 73 mins Director: David Kent-Watson
A bouncer is enlisted to fight off a mob boss, in this barmy, shot-on-video cult actioner from famed Mancunian hardman Cliff Twemlow.
Benny's Video Benny's Video
Crime 1992 110 mins Director: Michael Haneke
Michael Haneke’s drama explores a teenager’s obsession with screen violence, and his inability to distinguish between reality and fiction.
El Mariachi El Mariachi
Crime 1992 82 mins Director: Robert Rodriguez
A travelling mariachi is mistaken for a murderous criminal, in Robert Rodriguez’s infamous ‘no budget’ exemplar of DIY action cinema.
Dragon's Return Dragon's Return
Drama 1968 85 mins Director: Eduarda Grecnera
A reclusive potter nicknamed ‘Dragon’, exiled from his isolated homestead, returns years later, aiming to win back the trust of the villagers.
Battleship Potemkin (Music by Pet Shop Boys) Battleship Potemkin (Music by Pet Shop Boys)
Historical drama 1925 75 mins Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein
Marking the centenary of Sergei Eisenstein’s landmark film, with thrilling music by Pet Shop Boys.
The Ice Storm The Ice Storm
Comedy 1997 113 mins Director: Ang Lee
An impressive ensemble cast populate Ang Lee’s riveting portrait of family life in 1970s America.
Chicken Town Chicken Town
Comedy 2025 90 mins Director: Richard Bracewell
Two old schoolfriends join forces with an elderly neighbour to fence a shed full of weed, in this sprightly, easy-going British comedy.
Les Amants du Pont-Neuf Les Amants du Pont-Neuf
Drama 1991 126 mins Director: Léos Carax
A homeless addict (Denis Lavant) and a young painter (Juliette Binoche) with failing eyesight forge a bond on the streets of Paris.
Pharaoh Pharaoh
Historical drama 1965 146 mins Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Dazzling epic, in which the young Pharaoh Ramses XIII clashes with Egypt's clergy over influence on the affairs of the state and its coffers.