reviews of all about lily chouchou

Released in 2001, writer and director Shunji Iwai’s “All About Lily Chou-Chou” 「リリイ• シュシュのすべて」is a masterclass in complex and powerful storytelling, cinematography, and meta-textual messaging that puts on display the formative, introspective, and oftentimes malicious enigma that is the life of youth in Japan.-sabukaru.online

No. No. No. No. No. This can't go on, I am too weak to take all these. It isn't fair, the way such controversial scenes are filmed so brilliantly. This is torture, I tell you. All About Lily Chou-Chou invites you inside then violently pushes you away, the magnetic combination of music and scenery draws you to approach closer and closer, then punishes you for doing so. My heart was tugged from all directions. It's tearing me apart.-YI JIAN

Iwai Shunji’s ode to the wanton cruelty of youth, alienation, technology, and the ethereal power of music is just as powerful today as it was when it burst onto the scene at the dawn of the new century. The film, which meanders through the ever-shifting relationships of high-school children who are casually cruel to one another, focuses on Yuichi (Hayato Ichihara), a shy teen who is first glimpsed standing in a rice field vibing the the titular pop star’s music while Internet chat room messages cover the screen. The withdrawn Yuichi doesn’t have many friends, but he does have his love of Lily Chou-Chou, a J-pop star with a cult-like group of followers who find sanctuary in her music. Yuichi’s apathy for his old friend Shusuke (Shugo Oshinari) turns to viciousness after an incident on summer vacation stirs up a slow-building storm of violence, tribalism, and suicide. Beautiful cinematography, remarkable performances by a young cast, and a haunting score all serve Iwai’s successful attempt at capturing the agonizing and ecstatic feelings of being a teenager.-film at lincon center

3 Kudos

Comments

Displaying 1 of 1 comments ( View all | Add Comment )

~Lumin04C

1689387793

Loved the film, I think it was kinda stressing that we didn't met in a very profound way all the characters. Awesome soundtrack and a very interesting connection with the cinematographic ambient. Felt empathy with the girl that K1ll3d hs, it was a very sad situation. I loved the trip part, beautiful. The ending was kind of hard to process.

Report Comment