All About Lily Chou-Chou
Release Date:
July 12, 2002
Limited release
As he was shooting the sugary-sweet Love Letter, director Shunji Iwai decided he wanted to take a look at the darker side of the lives of Japanese students. He took his idea to the Internet, where he allowed visitors to a chat room for an imaginary singer to help him plot the film through unlimited messages. In fact, since much of the movie focuses on the online fan-site of the main character, he reproduced a number of those very messages on the screen.
All About Lily Chou-Chou is the story of Yuichi Hasumi (Hayato Ichihara), an eighth grader who lives with his mother and her boyfriend in an idyllic rural town. A sadistic bully named Hoshino rules the school, demanding money from Yuichi, who is forced to shoplift and steal just to avoid being beaten. He takes refuge in his love for his favorite singer, Lily Chou-Chou. He has dedicated an entire Web site to his idol, called Lili-philia. He posts in his chat room under the alias Philia, and soon becomes fast friends with another visitor to the forum, a user with the handle Blue Cat, with whom he discusses his thoughts of suicide and despair.
The movie fractures time to go back into the past, where we learn the reasons for Hoshino's eventual dark transformation to cruel persecutor. Formerly Yuichi's close friend, Hoshino's near-death experience and witnessing of numerous dark events causes him to turn into a tormentor of his fellow classmates.
Throughout the film, the online chat messages run as both counter-narrative and sharp contrast to the serene and beautifully-filmed country setting, while the haunting soundtrack by Takeshi Kobayashi provides a heart-rending accompaniment as the film builds to Lily Chou-Chou's special concert event, where tragedy ultimately awaits.
This unusual film had its premiere in September, 2001 at the Toronto International Film Festival. After very solid reviews, it was picked up by Cowboy Pictures for North American distribution. It will open in New York City and Los Angeles, with plans for possible additional expansion. All About Lily Chou-Chou definitely looks like a film to watch for on the festival circuit. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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