80
New Times (L.A.) by Andy Klein
Except for a few slow patches, the movie is compulsively watchable: You keep waiting to see just how sick things are going to get.
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50
The New York Times by Dana Stevens
There's a little more sex than you'll see on WB, but mostly there's an atmosphere of brooding psychodrama and erotic cruelty that falls somewhere between "Cries and Whispers" and "Say Anything."
50
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
Good acting and understated filmmaking turn off-putting material into a mildly engrossing drama, if not a particularly compelling one.
50
This dreamy, languorous farce offers a manageable strawberry-flavored alternative, a mildly kinky Hello Kitty sadomasochism.
63
New York Daily News by Elizabeth Weitzman
Surprisingly poignant, thanks to its enduring sense of tenderness.
70
Best of all is Tsugumi's wild performance.
50
San Francisco Chronicle by Peter Stack
It's not always clear what this film is driving at, but Shiota makes the weirdness visually arresting.
75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer by Sean Axmaker
A disturbing, and disturbingly funny, twist on adolescent love, and Shiota captures the emotional avalanche with understanding.
63
Newcomer Akihiko Shiota shows talent as a director, but he allows Sasayaki to go on too long.