Film Review: The Pillow Book

The Netflix blurb states thusly:

A beautiful Japanese model gets caught in the throes of an erotic obsession.  Magiko's father's habit of painting characters on her body plays out as sexual theater in her adulthood, as she demands that man after man paint on her skin.  Ewan McGregor stars as Jerome, the lover who inspires her to use a calligraphy brush on him.  Langorous and stylish, The Pillow Book is a sensual treat.

Which is to say:  It's freakin' weird!

It is also 2 hrs and 1 min of lots of arty camera shots and full frontal nudity of the male variety. It's not rated.  McGregor turns out to be nicely endowed.  There aren't a lot of sex scenes, but there are close ups of naked bodies adorned with gorgeous Japanese calligraphy.  There are subtitles, but not always, and frequently the characters speak English.  Also, it is a full embodiment of the saying "revenge is a dish best served cold."  The relationships are twisted and the mores are very Japanese.

I wouldn't say I enjoyed it, but it was interesting and different.  It certainly was the kind of thing to watch with nothing else on but the state of the union address. (I just couldn't listen to that man last night.  I'd already had a frustrating day and didn't need to add to my stress level.)