When Martin Scorsese or Alfonso Cuaron announce they're releasing their latest films on Netflix, it's apt to prompt hand-wringing among purists. But for Sion Sono, the arch provocateur of Japanese cinema, it's more like he has found his natural habitat.
Streaming services give Sono an opportunity to vent the darker impulses he's had to keep in check during his multiple forays into commercial filmmaking. In many ways, he's a natural fit: His trademark blend of hysterical schlock and alternately rambling and raving narratives has always felt like a drunken soap opera, making it perfect for late-night binging.
"The Forest of Love" marks his return to filmmaking after suffering a heart attack earlier this year, just two days after wife Megumi Kagurazaka gave birth to their first child. But anyone expecting a more reflective work will be quickly disabused. For better or worse, this is peak Sono: a garish, gore-drenched S&M exploitation epic that plays like a compilation of his greatest hits without ever really breaking new ground.