Red Violation (1980) Akai bôkô | Region-Free (DVD) | Directed by Chûsei Sone

Presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

Title: Red Violation (1980)

Alternate Title: Akai bôkô

Genre: Drama, Romance

Plot Synopsis:
The film follows the rock band “Devils” both on stage and in their personal lives, highlighting the various romantic escapades of its members. As they navigate the challenges of the music industry, the band members grapple with relationships, ambitions, and the pursuit of success.

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Chūsei Sone
• Writer: Susumu Saji
• Cast:
  • Megumi Saki as Mari Ikemoto
  • Fujio Takahashi as Fujito
  • Yuri Yamashina as Hitomi Edagawa
  • Yûya Uchida as Yuya
  • Hiromi Okamoto as Mina Akagi

IMDb Link:
Red Violation (1980)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. evilbjork – ★★★☆☆
   “This movie has no business being as well directed as it is. I was expecting the usual low-quality filmmaking of most pinku films but with some cool scenes, but what I got was the opposite. It’s a fairly simple movie with little going on in the plot, but the camera work and atmosphere are so good that it turns this into a really memorable movie. There are tons of long takes, shots of the streets in Tokyo, and the movie starts with a band performance scene with wild editing. Pinku movies were often used as a way for filmmakers to get funding for the movies they actually wanted to make, and this feels like a good example of that.”
2. AuteurTheory – ★★★★☆
   “RED VIOLATION follows a young rock band called The Devils, as they play shows, have relationships with girls, and try to scrape enough money together to get by. It’s a laidback drama, with some humor and some s&x. The s&x is all awkward teenager shit. It’s not choreographed, cinematic p0rn0. Even though not much happens, I loved the raw, neorealist style. Things take a disturbing, unexpected turn towards the end. The practice scenes brought me back to my old band days. That’s what being in a band is like most of the time: fighting and rehearsing. There’s a part where a guy breaks a guitar string… that used to happen to us all the time, and we were too poor to have backups. So if we broke a string or a drumstick, practice was over for the day… or week!”
3. nagoya – ★★★★½
   “One of the greatest films on youth, friendship and (the dream of) rock & roll. Fantastic cinematography. It’s a great example of how much underrated Chūsei Sone is…”

Meta Description:
“Red Violation” (1980), directed by Chūsei Sone, is a Japanese drama that chronicles the lives of the rock band “Devils” as they navigate the challenges of the music industry and their personal relationships.