Alan did you try and e-mail me? Eric?

I found this film ridiculous. Never has the subject of sexual abuse been tackled in such a ridiculous manner. The heavy and disturbing abuse scenes were obviously put in to try and shadow the dreadful acting (minus Neil he took a good shot at it) I was nauseated throughout and felt that the film totally depended on shock value.

Hey Claire,

Thanks for the comment. The abuse scenes were odd to me b/c their purpose escaped Araki's control. They seemed dreamily erotic, which might make sense for Neil but not Brian. The addition of the recovered-memory detective story turned it all to cheese.

Apparently you don't realize how this works. I was abused from age 4-6 by my neighbor and had 20 years of repressed memory... saw 7 psychologists and I thought all my problems were becasue of my parent's divorce when I was 8. Even the short memories I did have pointed to but never showed proof that anything happened. I lied to myself without realizing I was lying, that the abuse ever happened. But looking back now, I know it did. I was laying on a bed with a camera ponted at me... I was told my the man that if I said anything that my parents wouldn't want me... these things I occasionally remembered in the 20 years but discarded them as just memories with no meaning. Repressed memory DOES HAPPEN. I thought I had a happy childhood. In my teens I was depressed everyday but didn't know why.
As for the movie... that's what happens in real life. I'm sorry that you can't handle the scenes but that's real life. You know that a child might go through when he/she says they were abused and how they can be affected... but do you REALLY know what they went through? These scenes hint to it. A child that young can not mentally process that event... not enough life experience so the mind pushes it away as a defense mechanism. Please be more open-minded about this movie. I basically lived this movie because there was the man's son (my age) with me too.
These "graphic" scenes which really are just implied scenes puts you in the place of the child. If you can't handle it, think of how the child must have felt.

I absolutely agree with the last posting stated. I wrote a paper on this for a graduate level class on the effects of trauma on children--it was assigned by the professor. You don't seem to understand trauma at a basic level and it shows in your review. As for the uneasiness, again, as stated above, these are events that happen to real people. As a society we must come to understand our fellow people's experiences.

I was abused, and the film is so resonant, I'm still off balance a few days after viewing it twice. The writing of the view is thorough, exceptionally well written, and engaging for as long as it is, but as someone just overwhelmed with watching the movie, I have to tell you memories do get pushed away due to childhood trauma. I was sexually abused, but for many years didn't label it molestation because I was just like Neil, craving male physical contact, and still cannot remember the first incident that led to a year long inappropriate sexual relationship at age 5-6 with my babysitter. The AIDS safe sex stuff bangs you over the head, but I'm fascinated with how many reviews and comments find the mutual seduction either implausible or titillating. Trust me, it's real.