All About Lily Chou-Chou (US Version) DVD Region 1

Shunji Iwai is always faithful to his own style, he rarely compromises both in terms of the narrative or cinematic aesthetic. In his latest work All About Lily Chou-Chou, which was made in 2001, he once again demonstrates his peculiar talent and shows us how much more he could do with a camera.

The story is based on the problem teenagers in contemporary Japan. With the use of some exotic cinematic techniques and innovative editing, the plot may seem little loose on the first hand. But it is still coherent. It aims at exploring the twisted psychologies and behaviors of the youth. The story centers on two teenagers, Yuichi and Hoshino, who also happen to be good friends in the beginning. Yuichi is a quiet and reserved student who is always bullied by his friends. He can only find relief on an internet chat room, where he discusses Lily Chou Chou's music with his net friends; Hoshino is also a passive student at first, but he soon deteriorates and becomes the leader of a group of bad students. The only similarity between him and Yuichi is that both of them love pop singer Lily's music.

Yuichi and Hoshino represent two types of students, the suffered and the dominating class. While Yuichi chooses to tolerate, Hoshino fights back. But an interesting point is that their endings turn out to be more or less identical. They are both forced to a dead corner with no exit. It is actually a warning posed by Iwai. It seems like he wants to remind us that when the teenagers are led astray, apart from their own problems, external factor (especially the parents and the teachers) inevitably carries responsibility too. For instance, when Yuichi is caught shoplifting, what the school does is to merely send a teacher over to apologize. The teacher does not punish Yuichi or explain to him what he has done wrong. When his mother is aware of his behavior, she only scolds him, but never really tries to face the problem or find a remedy. Their failure to show care and love is an indirect but critical factor that creates very bad influence to the psychological development of the teenagers.

In terms of the cinematic aesthetic, Shunji Iwai did not disappoint us. The display of the internet chat room messages on the screen throughout the movie is quite impressive. To a certain extent, it can be seen as a direct and naked projection of the mind of the characters (Similar approach is also used in Take Care of My Cat). Background music is also employed wisely. The incongruous mixture of sound and image has created an enigmatic atmosphere that matches the complex and confused emotional states of the characters. As for the cinematography, some scenes are unbelievably beautiful, for instance, the opening scene when Yuichi is listening to Lily's song in the field is exceptionally tranquil and gorgeous. While some are too dark. The handheld camera and lack of sufficient light source (Iwai loves to use natural light to shoot) have created a realistic sense for the story yet greatly hindered the viewers from comprehending certain scenes. As a matter of fact, I found it really hard to identify who is who and what the characters are doing in some particular moments here and there.

Although the plot is quite loose and the whole concept is not too innovative, Iwai's delicate and fruitful research on his subject matter has proven to be rewarding. The movie shows clearly that he has profound knowledge of the behaviors of the teenagers. That might also explain why he could have made such a decisive critique. Perhaps All About Lily Chou-Chou is not a very entertaining movie, but the depth and level of discourses it brings about are worth our recognition. It is especially recommended for parents and teachers who would like to catch a glimpse of what their kids are thinking.

Reviewed by Kantorates -　Cinespot.com

Partially inspired by Canto-pop phenomenon Faye Wong, a cross-cultural project collaboration with Edward Yang and Stanley Kwan, a Taiwanese earthquake (read the introduction at www.lily-chou-chou.com and you'll understand) and the exceptional musical talents of Takeshi Kobayashi, All About Lily Chou-Chou took its final form from the web. Director Shinji Iwai has taken direction from the real-life dynamics of internet chat sessions surrounding the fictional pop icon to astonishingly modern and relevant effect, incorporating not only the ideas evoked and supported by the online participants but their actual thoughts and words. This alone makes this film more than an experience; it gives the spirit of the web, its potential to isolate the individual while transcending normal cultural/social divisions, substance, a voice with which to speak. The characters are living not inside the net but inside themselves, removed from others, their only salvation the lyrics of pop songs, their only meaningful connections those of the faceless community in cyberspace who share their interests.

10 J-Pop phenomenons out of 10

by Deni Stoner - heroic-cinema.com "