”If your taste runs to "difficult" films you absolutely can't miss it.” - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
The difference in reactions to All About Lily Chou-Chou can be mostly reduced to "Your mileage may vary." The film is certainly not easy to get into because it has such a peculiar narrative and it seems there is nothing that essentially ties the film into one solid entirety. I, on the other hand, fell in love with it on this aspect.
”"All About Lily Chou-Chou" is arguably too ambitious, too all-encompassing and too concerned with flouting narrative convention for its own good. Then again, some of the same criticisms could apply to François Truffaut's "The 400 Blows," a movie that bears more than a passing similarity to this one.” - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
The problem I had at first was that as much as I could praise the film, I could criticize it for the very same things. Once my mind had settled down a bit (it hasnt settled completely yet), I felt my criticism felt weaker and weaker so I began to admire the film more gradually. Partly because it had such a strong effect on me, only comparable to my reaction to films like Yi Yi and End of Evangelion. O'Hehir makes a reasonable comparison to Truffaut's The 400 Blows because All About Lily Chou-Chou seems to be criticized for the same reasons The 400 Blows is praised.
”"All About Lily Chou-Chou" is mainly the story of Yuichi (Hayato Ichihara), a moody, near-silent teenage boy who's obsessed with a pop singer named, yep, Lily Chou-Chou. Beyond that, though, things get murky.” - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
This is as good as it gets when you attempt to make a plot introduction for the film. The film's content becomes so wide that it is hard to explain it all without writing walls of text and spoiling the film too much.
”Iwai's portrait of Japanese high-school life is dense with compelling detail. In between his sessions in an online chat-room devoted to Lily -- rendered as a series of explosive intertitles that interrupt and sometimes overlay the action -- Yuichi must navigate a landscape of warring bullies and gangs, sadistic and seductive packs of girls and various grades of clueless, harried adults.” - Andrew O'Hehir - Salon.com
The film dives deep into the lives of high-school students. One of the things that resonated within me was the portrayal of Internet discussion and disillusioned fanbase. The anonymity is conforming for the teens because it allows them to get away from the social pressure caused by the school, family and friends. The things these crazy fans write during the film are not far from what is written on most of the forums I've been to. Fans go to absurd levels in praising what they love, by bringing up weird "facts", writing colorful yet pretentious walls of text and defending the honor of their precious idol or masterpiece. I have been (and still am to a certain degree) guilty of this act because it becomes quite natural once you spend enough time on the Internet. The problems of the teenagers in the film explode in the form of criminal and even sexually grim activities. The cluelessness (is that even a word?) of the adults reflects, in my humble opinion, the way the teenagers mostly see adults as, especially parents and teachers. They can be kind or dominating, but "none of them understands" how the children feel. Through their eyes, there is a gaping hole between their world and the parents' world.
”If Yuichi is pretty much the classic wounded adolescent of world cinema, transposed to the age of chat rooms and digital video, that doesn't stop us from pining for a time when he will be less awkward and his life a little easier.” - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
At first I despised Yuichi because I wanted to get him over his own problems and finally do SOMETHING. As the film went further I realised I was only frustrated because he faces a lot of problems I have, and I realised how honestly Iwai portrays this aspect. It doesnt point fingers at anyone yet it is a true and deep look at these psychological problems. In a way, Yuichi reminds me of Hideaki Anno's Neon Genesis Evangelion's Shinji because my initial (and later) reaction was similar to him. That might have been an unintentional parallel on Iwai's part, but he has admitted that Anno's Love & Pop influenced him a lot. You can certainly spot that all the way from the subject (and how it is handled) to the peculiar form.
”If the narrative progress of Iwai's film is sometimes baffling, what keeps you watching are his lustrous images and the complexity of his portrayal of middle-class Japan in decline.” - Andrew O'Hehir - Salon.com
The narrative certainly CAN be baffling, but I'm sure no one will stop watching the film. Luckily there are other qualities that can be more easily called redeeming than the narrative. More about the form later.
”Scenes don't always occur in chronological order, and some remain entirely mysterious.” - Andrew O'Hehir - Salon.com
You might be skeptical if this sort of ambiguity fits to the subject, but it strengthens the film. The film's narrative doesnt try to force every detail down the viewers' throats, but certainly leaves enough clues for clear interpretation. The amount of details may confuse you on the initial viewing and you might need to rewatch the film later.
”While this has the making of melodrama, the filmmaker cuts against this natural grain, producing a work that's more interested in asking questions than in answering them.” - David Ehrenstein, New Times
This isnt completely true, but can be attributed to the amgiguosity.
”I suppose "All About Lily Chou-Chou" is at its heart making the oldest possible complaint about modern culture: that as it purports to bring people together it actually keeps them separate.” - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
The film might not make an impressive statement of this complaint in general, but it is adequate enough when you take the subject into consideration.
”Iwai isn't interested in Lily herself, who never appears in the film (and may not even be real); Lily and her pseudo-mystical domain, "the Ether," seem to symbolize a lost tranquility that may be the past or the future but definitely isn't the here and now.” - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
This is something the viewer should have in mind before watching the film. The title is, in a way, misleading because it isnt really about Lily Chou-Chou itself. Every bit of information about her comes through her fans and we can never be sure how correct this information is. It is much more reasonable and comfortable to see her as a metaphor.
Without a direct quote, I would like to mention a brilliant scene. Yuichi walks a girl home, but the tension in the girl and in the relationship explodes completely while they are walking. What happens during the explosion is stunning and it feels so right. The end of the scene is an example of the awkward lack of connection between the characters even though both of them desparately want it. It is a bittersweet yet beautiful moment.
”A film that perfectly distills the relationship between pop music and teens searching for identity.” - Pam Grady, Reel.com
Even though it would be too simple to say that the film is about teens searching for identity, but the important of culture, especially pop music, is handled better than I recall in any other film I've seen. There is this strong need to escape the reality by any means and a lot of adolescents rely on music. Salyu's wonderful music is used as the music of the mysterious Lily Chou-Chou. These songs set the mood perfectly and reflect the teenage angst in a bittersweet way.
”Much of All About Lily Chou-Chou is mesmerizing: some of its plaintiveness could make you weep.” - Elvis Mitchell, New York Times
While the film isnt strictly melancholic, it certainly affects you in that way as well. There was one certain moment that made me weep a little because it was such a crushing moment for one of the characters. Yet again, I would like to compare the film to Yi Yi to which I had similar reactions.
”This movie is maddening. It conveys a simple message in a visual style that is willfully overwrought.” - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
This Ebert quote is simply something I have to disagree with. "A simple message"? Huh? Visual style that is willfull overwrought? Your mileage may vary.
”Writer-director Shunji Iwai is no kid (he's 39), but his movie has a youthful restlessness, an almost compulsive daring.” - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
Iwai's form is intriguing and uneasy - as it should be for this sort of content. The next quote puts it better than I ever could:
”Once you get into its rhythm ... the movie becomes a heady experience.” - Jonathan Curiel, San Fransisco Chronicle
Not only the narrative might be disorienting, but the editing is certainly peculiar. Anno's influence can be seen here, but Iwai doesnt simply do what Anno would, but takes the whole form even beyond that. It is a delicious experience.
”Iwai is almost certainly going digital by choice; he begins and ends the film with images of Yuichi against a field of sizzling-green grass, an electric hue perhaps only attainable in this format.” - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
Now that I have seen the film, I claim it wouldnt be the same if it was shot on film. The digital footage is charming and extremely beautiful, as describe in the following quote:
”Perhaps no greater example yet exists of the beauty achievable when one is a master of the digital aesthetic.” - Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyrs.com
All About Lily Chou-Chou is the best example of how you can achieve a lot by digital cameras, and also why they should be used more frequently.
”Then there's a long sideways journey in the middle, when the film temporarily becomes a homemade video of an Okinawa vacation that ends with a near-drowning while the camera sloshes around haphazardly in the surf.” - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
I understand why Iwai executed this portion of the film in the way he did, but it wasnt easy to accept at first. There are a few points during this section that made me a little skeptical. I would consider this a minor flaw at worst.
”Ichihara is a handsome, slight kid who can simultaneously convey curiosity and sullenness.” - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
Ichihara (Yuichi's, the main characters', actor) performed extremely well. I even didnt think of the performances before reading about the film elsewhere. The whole cast deserves appreciation, especially Ichihara and Ayumi Ito. Their performances were hard-hitting.
I'm finally coming to a conclusion, and at first I'll use a bunch of quotes:
”I loved "All About Lily Chou-Chou" despite its problems, or at least I greatly admired its crystalline, high-definition video look, its explosive feel, its wealth of ideas, its willingness to go anywhere and do anything.” - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
”Confusion is one of my least favourite emotions, especially when I have to put up with 146 minutes of it.” - Ian Waldron-Mantgani, UK Critic
”It's a uniquely lonely film, and one of the year's most memorable.” - Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
”I'm not sure All About Lily Chou-Chou made sense in my head, but it made sense in my heart.” - Chris Hewitt, St. Paul Pioneer Press
Andrew O'Hehir's covers most of the reason why I'm willing to forget any possible flaws of the film, and add to that the fact how it hit home for me: I identify a lot of the characters' problems in myself although I have no experience of youth criminals or teenage prostitution. Ian Waldron-Mantgani's bewildering statement is funny in an unintentional way. The film seems to have breached his security and shaken him up, and he feels offended by that. I usually feel vice versa. What I love about Michael Atkinson's quote is his description of the film: "uniquely lonely". Chris Hewitt's words, on the other hand, are the ones I had in my mind just after I had seen the film. Back then I wasnt sure if I had seen one of the best films ever, or only a decent film.
As the last quote, I would like to use something Andrew O'Hehir wrote:
”Somehow it works.”
Even though he uses it only about the digital aesthetic, I erupted in laughter after reading that line. It felt so spot-on about my thoughts on the film in general.
Score: (yet another) 10 out of 10
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