Kamikaze Hearts

1986

1h 17m

Documentary

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

4 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Alternately distressing, instructive, contestable, and fascinating, Juliet Bashore's quasi-documentary plunge into the 1980s porn industry takes an unsparing look at issues of misogyny, drug abuse, and exploitation via the story of two women--the naïve newcomer Tigr and her partner, the magnetic, imperious porn veteran Sharon Mitchell--caught in a toxic romance. By turns mesmerizing and unsettling, Kamikaze Hearts is both a fascinating record of pre-gentrification San Francisco's X-rated underground and an intense, searing love story. The film offers a disturbing glimpse of the modification of bodies, feelings, and lives.

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Drew Gregory

Autostraddle

... The gaze is as much Tigr’s inside look as it is Bashore’s removed observation. Tigr is in love with Mitch and the camera is in love with her too. Mere minutes into the film, it’s hard not to share that love.

Jul 22, 2022

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Beatrice Loayza

New York Times

It’s not exactly pleasurable — and it’s filled with disorienting longueurs — but it really sticks.

May 12, 2022

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Sam Inglis

HeyUGuys

A fascinating blend of documentary and fiction that preserves a very specific time and place in the adult industry, anchored by the charismatic figure of Sharon Mitchell.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 17, 2022

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Liz Galst

Gay Community News (Boston)

Kamikaze Hearts is a riveting look at the world of lesbian junkie porn stars.

Aug 18, 2022

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Audience Member

Something I had to track down due to my love of Sharon Mitchell, and I have to say it was an interesting watch, with fairly candid talk about both her lack of a personal life (she views her public persona as another face that she puts on) and she and her girlfriend's drug use. Well worth tracking down for fans of the Golden Age Of Porn. Rental!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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Juliet Bashore

Director

Sharon Mitchell

Self

Juliet Bashore

Screenwriter

John Knoop

Screenwriter

Tigr

Screenwriter

Sharon Hennessey

Producer

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Synopsis

Alternately distressing, instructive, contestable, and fascinating, Juliet Bashore's quasi-documentary plunge into the 1980s porn industry takes an unsparing look at issues of misogyny, drug abuse, and exploitation via the story of two women--the naïve newcomer Tigr and her partner, the magnetic, imperious porn veteran Sharon Mitchell--caught in a toxic romance. By turns mesmerizing and unsettling, Kamikaze Hearts is both a fascinating record of pre-gentrification San Francisco's X-rated underground and an intense, searing love story. The film offers a disturbing glimpse of the modification of bodies, feelings, and lives.

Director: Juliet Bashore
Producer: Sharon Hennessey, Heinz Legler, Bob Rivkin
Screenwriter: Juliet Bashore, John Knoop, Tigr
Genre: Documentary, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 13, 2022
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 3, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.8K
Runtime: 1h 17m

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