Shibari

SHIBARI is a Japanese word meaning “to tie” or “to bond” and is used to describe the traditional Japanese art of bondage. Our documentary introduces the viewer to an international community of SM enthusiasts bound by their love of rope. A few have developed their sexual obsession to become virtuosi in perfect erotic subjugation. In societies where all walks of life are organized from beginning to end, sexuality is one of the last enclaves of self definition. The film describes a sub-culture whose members seek their freedom and joie de vivre by living a non-conformist sexuality. Submission, pain and happiness are no contradictions. In cultures untouched by Christian moral concepts this is more readily understood than in Europe. We visit Shibari master Ossada Steve in Tokyo and accompany him on a trip round Europe to compare the cultures of this art form. The protagonists are interviewed and artists, philosophers and psychologists consulted.