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An erotic fantasy that combines two limitless fascinations - flesh and literatures. Nagiko (Vivian Wu) flees an unhappy marriage in her native Japan to work as a model in Hong Kong. Nagiko holds treasured childhood memories of the annual ritual of her calligrapher father (Ken Ogata) gently painting a traditional birthday greeting on her face. In Hong Kong she takes a string of lovers, whom she values more for their calligraphy than their sexual skills, asking them to write on her body. An English lover (Ewan McGregor) suggests she starts writing herself, using her lovers as papers. However, his plan to get her writing published backfires with tragic consequences. Some sections in Japanese with English sub-titles.
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How to watch
Stream, rent or buy via
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
307915
Language
English
Audience classification
M (15+)
Subject categories
Crafts & Visual Arts → Artists - Japan
Crafts & Visual Arts → Calligraphy
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Fathers and daughters
Feature films → Feature films - Great Britain
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Love
Literature → Japanese literature - Film and video adaptations
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)