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Directed by: Shunji Iwai Starring: Japanese unknowns Riri Shushu no Subete (All About Lily Chou-Chou) is a beautiful Japanese film from 2001 that was recently released on DVD in the US. It was available from Netflix, so I jumped at the chance to watch it. A simple summary would be: a young Japanese boy named Yuichi is obsessed with pop singer Lily Chou-Chou, creating a website where he and other fans discuss her music. He wants to immerse himself in "the Ether," the unseen reality from which her music comes, to escape from the traumas he experiences in school at the hands of bullies. However, the film is about much more than a teenage boy's obsession with a pop idol. It is about the brutal world that Japanese schoolkids must try to survive, the mental and physical torture they subject one another to, and the gangs and cliques that they form. The story is decidely non-linear, and although Yuichi is the main character, several other students are also the focus of the movie. Several of these characters are connected to the world of Lily Chou-Chou through Yuichi's website--but they don't know they are communicating online with people they know in real life. Chatroom conversations are typed out onscreen, strange conversations focused on the feelings and impressions the kids have as they listen to Lily's music. In these sequences it is as if we are getting a glimpse of their innermost thoughts and feelings, and their desire to escape the brutality of their lives and reach out to others to find understanding is heartbreaking to watch. The cinematography and settings are unbelieveably beautiful. The film is set on a small rural island in Japan, and it is the perfect setting for such a desolate story. The story can be rather difficult to follow--at two and a half hours, some of the more minimalist and slow-moving scenes can try the viewer's patience. It may take a couple of viewings to get the characters and events straight, and don't expect the movie to try to make sense of some of the more bizarre events--you will have to figure out and interpret a lot for yourself, so don't start watching if you're in the mood for something quick and easy. This is a very rewarding movie, beautiful enough to watch for the visuals and music alone, but one that tells a deeply unsettling story that will stay with you long after you finish watching. RATING: 4.5 PROS: Beautiful scenery, amazing shots, haunting story CONS: Length, difficult to follow ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://imdb.com/title/tt0297721/
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Mar 16, 2005 18:49
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 23:55 |
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I watched the first 30 minutes of this movie and had to turn it off. Too loving slow. Maybe it's "art" or whatever, but it isn't entertaining. 1.
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Mar 17, 2005 00:02
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