AllMovie

Acclaimed filmmaker Ryuichi Hiroki began his career directing erotica, and he returns to themes of sexual obsession and fetishism in this documentary. Kinbaku is a Japanese word referring to the art of rope tying for purposes of bondage, and in Bakushi Hiroki explores this distinctly Japanese variation on the subject of erotic discipline. Hiroki offers extensive interviews with three bakushi -- masters of the art of rope -- who demonstrate their craft on camera, as well as three models who allow themselves to be tied up by the bakushi and attempt to explain their attraction to the fine edge of pain and pleasure. Bakushi received its European premiere at the 2007 Rotterdam Film Festival.