This documentary about Japanese male "host" clubs is possibly one of the most troubling films I've ever seen.
Host clubs in a nutshell:
Women begin by sitting down and paging through a catalog of the club's wares, an assortment of crazy-haired, blinged-out, slightly effeminate (to my American eyes) Japanese twentysomethings. They then choose their host, who entertains them for the night, drinking with them, teasing them, talking with them, and generally making them feel special. It's largely platonic, though there are exceptions- women visit the clubs for emotional more than sexual fulfillment.
On the surface, not so bad, right? It may seem a little off, but people like to feel special, and there's nothing wrong with selling a service that provides that, is there? These were my initial sentiments when I heard about these clubs, and I'm sure there are perfectly healthy host-client relationships where the host is little more than a paid drinking buddy.
However, Rakkyo, the #1 club in Japan and the subject of the film, is anything but healthy. Its clients drop anywhere from $300 to $3000 in a night, competing for the affections of the top hosts in Japan. Interviews with the women reveal delusional, addicted girls, genuinely believing they can one day be together with their host, and often turning to hostessing or full-blown prostitution to fund the habit.
The hosts fare no better. While at first they seem like actors, putting on a nice show and entertaining a girl for a night, they string girls along, always hinting at a relationship but holding it just out of reach, all the while binge drinking and encouraging their "dates" to do the same. They pander, lie, and read and manipulate girls' feelings enough that they talk about going numb, about being unable to have an actual relationship with anyone.
This film swings your feelings for the characters back and forth, revealing insecurity, manipulation, and abject materialism on both ends of the relationship. The world of host clubs is a crazy one: hosts regularly bring in over $100,000 a year drinking in nightclubs, a top host downs ten bottles of champagne in a night, vomiting as necessary to keep the alcohol from killing him, and girls profess their love to a host at one club while hitting multiple clubs over the course of a week, then talk later about the true, deep love they feel for their host at Rakkyo.
The direction is awesome in its simplicity; the directors simply intersperse footage from an actual host club with interviews with its denizens. The camera feels like the eyes of someone simply curious about this phenomenon: transparent, honest, and occasionally voyeuristic. Hosts and clients play their teasing, lying love games as if no one was watching, and the picture that emerges is fascinating and twisted.
Watch the trailer here
If you have Netflix, you can watch The Great Happiness Space online here. Otherwise, there's always Amazon.
