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The pain and suffering of junior high is always good movie fodder, and inAll About Lily Chou-Chouthe topic gets an unfamiliar and moody airing. Director Shunji Iwai takes a discursive, sometimes baffling look into the life of a bullied kid whose misery is broken by his worship of a pop star, Lily Chou-Chou. Internet chat room exchanges punctuate the film's narrative, as Yuichi and his anonymous Lily-philes share their intoxication with the "Ether"--the mystery of life that Lily's voice somehow illuminates. The film's style (and length) offer little in the way of traditional movie-watching pleasure, and the mystifying storytelling will have some viewers giving up in exasperation. Still, the portrait of adolescent loneliness rings true, and the ferocity of school bullying is laid bare. On the latter subject, this film is a little like the kill-or-be-killed apocalypse ofBattle Royale,without the fantasy overlay.--Robert Horton
Wow, This is the film I've been waiting for. ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU is an amazing tale about the power of idols and the love that their fans possess. Remarkable, every shot rings like an orchestra, the color, the shades, the shots, this is film making at an Everest peak, Why this isn't talked about more is beyond me, I'm sure it will take off in time.
Beautiful Although this movie can be a bit confusing as it hops around in time sequence, it is really poignant and worth watching. It focuses on Japanese youths and the troubles that they face in the world today. Much different than anything you might see in an American teen movie, it is much darker and surreal. A young boy who drowns his sorrows in the music of Lily Chou-Chou, a Japanese version of Bjork, struggles with everyday life--and not just your normal teenage angst, either. This movie deals with rape, violence, depression, and so much more. You have to really want to understand this movie to enjoy it...be in the mood to relate to others and really get into the characters, because it is not a light movie.An awesome film. It should be understood that the situations depicted in this film find their beginnings in what has become the increasingly dismal sociological reality of contemporary Japan. Iwai has choreographed an amazingly fluid storyline that is neither cliched nor far-fetched. Despite complaints that the film may be perhaps too long, too graphic, too pretentious, too incredulous, I find it to be near perfection.
The visuals are stunning and the storyline sophisticated. The Iwai/Shinoda collaboration succeeds where Kar Wai/Doyle collaboration in recent years has become excessive and tired.
