The Films of Hisayasu Satô: Volume #2 - An Aria on Gazes / Love - Zero = Infinity – Pink Line (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1992 (An Aria on Gazes), Japan, 1994 (Love - Zero = Infinity)
Director: Hisayasu Satô (Both Films)
Cast: Kiyomi Itô, Momori Asano,Kyôko Nakamura, Issei Sagawa, Kôichi Imaizumi, Taketoshi Watari, Hiromi Hirose, Mineo Sugiura, Takeshi Itô (An Aria on Gazes), Kiyomi Itô, Takeshi Itô, Ryûmei Homura, Masaru Hiramatsu, Shirô Shimomoto, Hiroyuki Kawasaki, Kôichi Imaizumi, Kôichi Imaizumi, Satomi Shinozaki (Love - Zero = Infinity)

Release Date: December 2nd, 2025
Approximate Running Times: 64 Minutes 49 Seconds (An Aria on Gazes), 62 Minutes 18 Seconds (Love - Zero = Infinity)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Japanese (Both Films)
Subtitles: English (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $54.98

An Aria on Gazes: "An exclusive Tokyo club offers a safe haven for its clients to anonymously indulge in perverse and deeply personal erotic fantasies as the lines between reality and imagination become increasingly opaque—and dangerous." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Love - Zero = Infinity: "Takashi, a lonely voyeur whose feverish desire for companionship borders on stalking, is hired by a doctor to follow his mysterious young wife. But as they each grow increasingly aware of the other’s presence, violent desires also begin to erupt within them in this fatalistic piece, blurring intimacy and blood ritual." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Both Films)

Here’s the information provided about this release’s transfers, "Each newly and exclusively restored in 2K from their 35mm original camera negatives with newly translated English subtitles, all under the supervision of Satô himself.”

An Aria on Gazes and Love - Zero = Infinity come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.1 GB

Feature: 17.7 GB (An Aria on Gazes), 17 GB (Love - Zero = Infinity)

All of the sources look excellent; they far exceed any of these films' previous home media releases. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5 (Both Films)

Each film comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. All audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for Aria on Gazes include an interview with director Hisayasu Satô titled I’m Being Watched (14 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Kyôko Nakamura titled Lost in the Bedroom (11 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Asian cinema historian Pierce Conran and film critic James Marsh.

Extras for Love - Zero = Infinity an interview with Hisayasu Satô titled Unidentified Followed Objects (UFOs) (9 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), a locations featurette with Hisayasu Satô titled Walking in Circles: Part 2 (24 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a spot gloss hard slipcase + slipcover combo (limited to 4,000 units) and a 40-page perfect-bound book with an essay titled Behind the Mirror: The All-Consuming Fantasy of An Aria on Gazes written by Jasper Sharp, an essay titled The Sleepless Generation written by Hayley Scanlon, and an essay titled The Material Gaze written by Filipe Furtado.

Summary:

An Aria on Gazes and Love - Zero = Infinity were directed by Hisayasu Satô, a filmmaker who worked extensively in Pinku Eiga. He's most known for Lustmord, Re-Wind, Love Letter in the Sand, and Splatter: Naked Blood. His films are textbook examples of body horror and themes like alienation, obsession, and voyeurism.

An Aria on Gazes: A woman in a loveless marriage has an affair with her deceased sister's husband and finds sexual fulfillment at an underground Tokyo sex fetish club called The Sleeping Room.

An Aria on Gazes is known under the titles Unfaithful Wife: Shameful Torture and The Bedroom. An Aria on Gazes was authored by Shirô Yumeno, who frequently collaborated with Hisayasu Satô. Their notable joint works include titles such as Lolita Vibrator Torture, Re-Wind, Love Letter in the Sand, Survey Map of a Paradise Lost, Muscle, and Love - Zero = Infinity.

Although An Aria on Gazes has all the core requirements of Pinku Eiga, once again Hisayasu Satô creates something that goes beyond this genre's standard fare. An Aria on Gazes is a film that connects on an emotional level; it explores the loss of a loved one and the significant role that intimacy plays in our lives. An Aria on Gazes sees Hisayasu Satô return to familiar themes: desire, perversion, and voyeurism.

Hisayasu Satô is a filmmaker who always surprises with his choices when it comes to his visuals. Whether he uses odd angles or uses objects to frame the image, he’s always coming up with imagery that greatly heightens the mood. An Aria on Gazes immediately grabs in its opening moments as its credits roll; a naked woman wrapped in plastic lies on a bed while Bach's Air on the G String plays in the background. The juxtaposing of image and music creates an unforgettable moment, and Hisayasu Satô would often employ Air on the G String throughout An Aria on Gazes.

An Aria on Gazes’ narrative is one of the strongest Hisayasu Satô ever worked with. It perfectly blends exposition and fetish-themed erotica. The most striking moments take place in the underground sex fetish club; they have a surreal quality to them that is reminiscent of the cinema of David Lynch. Ultimately, An Aria on Gazes feels more like an arthouse film that has touches of surrealism than a Pinku Eiga film.

Love - Zero = Infinity: An alienated young man named Takashi fights his loneliness by spending his days observing strangers. He is hired to follow a doctor around when one of her colleagues, who also happens to be her husband, suspects she is losing her grip on reality. The more Takashi watches the beautiful doctor, the more fixated he becomes with her. One day his cover is blown when she catches him following her. The two quickly start an affair that will ultimately end badly for all involved.

Voyeurism, vampires, and obsession are central to the narrative of Love - Zero = Infinity. Hisayasu Satô’s films align with the conventions of Pinku Eiga, yet he consistently creates works that go beyond the confines of the genre. While eroticism is a significant element in Hisayasu Satô's cinema, he frequently intertwines it with horror. A prime example of this is Love - Zero = Infinity, which offers a truly unique interpretation of vampires.

The visuals do a superb job heightening the mood by delivering arresting moments. Hisayasu Satô's choices when it comes to framing go hand in hand with the voyeurism on display throughout Love - Zero = Infinity. His most intriguing visual motif is the use of sunglasses, which he uses to showcase what they are reflecting. Another strength of the visuals is their use of symbolism. The most surprising aspect of Love - Zero = Infinity is how it incorporates social commentary, notably how it is an allegory about HIV.

The narrative is a satisfying blend of exposition and erotica that does a superb job building momentum to its circular finale. Takashi and the woman he is following visibly deteriorate as the film progresses, descending further into the decadent lifestyle in which they have immersed themselves. Moments of erotica are well-crafted; they do an excellent job serving the story. Ultimately, Love - Zero = Infinity is an extraordinary film that far exceeds the sum of its parts, making it one of Hisayasu Satô’s best films.

The Films of Hisayasu Satô: Volume #2 is an exceptional release that gives each film a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras; highly recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer