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With his nonfiction film The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief, neophyte documentarist Jake Clennell probes the contemporary phenomenon of Japanese "host bars" - or upper-crust clubs ... read more read more...where wealthy female clients buy the affections of handsome, twentysomething male escorts. As an illustration of this concept, Clennell devotes the entire running time of the film to an exploration of Café Rakkyo, the most lucrative such club in Osaka Japan. The visit yields dispiriting glimpses of self-perpetuated delusions - such as the female client who insists that she can keep spending increasingly exorbitant amounts of money until she "buys" the lifelong love of her favorite host, and the male entertainers who succeed at their job by forcing themselves to take full advantage of a woman's innocence, gullibility and naïveté. Clennell also underscores, with great poignancy, the extreme emotional turmoil taken by this profession on both employees and patrons. Clennell's greatest observed irony is simply the fact that most of the women are, themselves, prostitutes. In the grand tradition of cinema direct Clennell relegates himself to pure observation, carefully refraining from intrusive value judgements or intervention of any kind, and allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions about the participants' onscreen lifestyles. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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1,515 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 15 min.

Directed by: Jake Clennell

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Flixster Reviews (194)

  • rubystevens
    July 29, 2008
    rubystevens
    a strange, fascinating and ultimately tragic look at various levels of the japanese sex industry. it's not pornographic but it is disturbing. and very well done. highly recommended for anyone interested in japanese culture...or odd documentaries
  • cacutshaw
    January 12, 2008
    cacutshaw
    Disturbing look at the Japanese host clubs and the messed up hosts and clients. Horrifying look at peoples search for happiness.
  • catlyst
    May 9, 2011
    catlyst
    sad, and lost youths, seeking for acceptance, happiness, love, and healing... when they need redemption. *sigh*
  • bastet05
    August 9, 2009
    bastet05
    A very interesting view on Japanese hosts. I had been aware of female hostesses, but the rarer one is the male host- it would be wrong to entirely categorize them as prostitutes, as for the most part they are hired to be companions- entertain the paying guest and encourage them t... read moreo spend more. Even more interesting was most of these boys clientele is actually true prostitute ladies. The documentary gets into the muddy philosophy of the trade as the men question which is more valuable- their paycheck or the idea they're living lies and essentially losing track of themselves in the process. Hearing from the men and their customers also makes you wonder who the real "victims" are in the male host business- the clients or their hosts.
  • girlybat
    December 8, 2008
    girlybat
    fascinating. i never knew this facet of the sex industry existed. this well done documentary sheds light on Host Clubs and how everyone, Hosts and clientele, is damaged in the process.
  • bthatgirl
    September 30, 2007
    bthatgirl
    I haven't watched a documentary for a while. I found The Great Happiness Space to be interesting and worth watching. A little slow in the beginning, I thought it was all going to be about "hosts". All the money the girls spent, I wondered what was it these girls did for work, ... read moreand why would they spend so much money on the "hosts" if not for sex, then what? To be healed and feel better about themselves for what they do for money. It was their way of escaping the guilt they felt.
  • HeadphonesOn
    September 2, 2007
    HeadphonesOn
    i spent much of my time in disbelief, incredulous at the overall acceptance of the male host system. love it or hate it, this documentary is as real as life gets. the director did a great job of digging into what makes the hosts and their clients tick.
  • xmkatx
    August 17, 2007
    xmkatx
    Pretty much everything you'd expect from a documentary about hookers and Japanese male escorts, aside from the para para dancing. For those looking for "cute Azn bois", I thought the only one was the main guy, Issei. A lot of them had really cheesy Cloud Strife/Dong Bang Shin K... read morei style hair. I recommend you skip it. Everything you assume about this type of industry and their feelings, emotions, views on life you can just guess. You'll be right.
  • kamikazeanarchist
    June 10, 2007
    kamikazeanarchist
    can you say sexy japanese male hosts and broken dream? yes... great documentary about sexy japanese male hosts catering to the needs and wants of weary japanese women...

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Joe Leydon
February 23, 2012
Joe Leydon, Variety

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