Directed by the provocative Nagisa Ōshima, Sing a Song of Sex (1967)—also known as A Treatise on Japanese Bawdy Songs (Nihon Shunka-kō)—is a surreal, avant-garde exploration of youth rebellion and political apathy during the Japanese New Wave.
The Premise
The film follows four high school seniors who have travelled to Tokyo to take their gruelling university entrance exams. Amidst the high-pressure environment and a snowy, politically charged city, the boys find themselves disconnected from the serious protests and adult world around them.
Their aimless wandering takes a turn when they encounter one of their teachers, who introduces them to the world of shunka—traditional, lewd drinking songs. The teacher posits that these bawdy lyrics are the true “voice of the people,” representing suppressed desires and historical grievances. As the boys embrace these songs, the film dissolves into a “psychosexual” journey where the lines between reality and their darker fantasies begin to blur. They become obsessed with a female student they saw during their exams, and their repressed frustrations manifest in increasingly surreal and nihilistic ways.
Key Cast and Crew
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Director: Nagisa Ōshima
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Toyoaki Nakamura: Ichirō Araki
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Hideo Ueda: Kōji Iwabuchi
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Ōtake (The Teacher): Jūzō Itami (who later became a famous director himself)
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Takako: Akiko Koyama
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Mayuko (The object of fantasy): Kazuko Tajima
Why It Matters
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Experimental Narrative: The film is more of a “collage” than a standard story. It blends musical numbers, political demonstrations, and dream sequences to capture the chaotic headspace of 1960s youth.
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Social Commentary: Ōshima uses the “bawdy song” as a metaphor for the repressed history of Japan, touching on themes of imperialism, the Korean-Japanese experience, and the failure of post-war democracy.
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Visual Style: Known for its striking use of color and “tracking shots” through the snow, the film creates a cold, oppressive atmosphere that contrasts sharply with the rowdy, lustful songs of the protagonists.
“These songs are the only truth left to those who have been stripped of everything else.”
Sing a Song of Sex is an enigmatic, challenging work that rejects typical cinematic structure to examine how the imagination can become both a sanctuary and a dangerous abyss for a generation without a cause.
