Substitutes

Substitutes looks at the supposed growing male Japanese trend of purchasing and actively pursuing a relationship with silicone sex dolls.

More than just plastic and silicone, some of these sex dolls have become an active part in Japanese men’s lives.

One of these men is named Senji Nakajim. He’s a 62-year-old man who found love with his silicone sex doll – a doll he’s named Saori.

Nakajima treats her as a real girlfriend and together, he claims, they live in harmony. Although Nakajima has a very real wife, he’s still chosen to live separately from her to fulfil his own desires.

He is one of many sex doll owners in Japan who’s picked a relationship with an inanimate human-shaped object over a real person.

But what does the substitutions of real people mean for the Japanese society as a whole?

To document this strange notion, a documentary crew sets out to Japan to experience, explore and understand the world of silicone love.