All About Lily Chou-Chou

If you have read my blog ever since I began, you'll surely remember my incoherent and enthusiastic review of Shunji Iwai's All About Lily Chou-Chou back in November. Even though I've spent probably more than 10 hours watching clips of this film afterwards, I haven't completely rewatched it until now. This time I intend to create a more sensible and readable review because the film is one of my favorites of all time.

Essentially the film is about a teenaged boy's life changing as he enters high school. The pressure, dreams, hopes and fears of adolescence are portrayed tangibly. The boy's alienation and implied coming-of-age are thoroughly explored as he is ripped apart from what he cares about. What is even "worse" for him is that he is like Neon Genesis Evangelion's Shinji - an extremely introverted and helpless kid facing problems too huge for him to grasp.

The boy attempts to find solace in the music of a Björk-like artist by discussing about his passion for her music on the Internet. That way the film also observes delusional fans and Internet behaviour. It is surprising how the film isn't judgmental about it even though it is implied to be dubious.

The growing distance between teenagers and adults is obvious throughout the film. The teachers remain distant in an exaggerated school world where violence and even prostitution exist. The boy's home is even more distant to him: in a single shot it is established that his mother has remarried to a weird guy with another problematic kid. His family doesn't really offer him shelter from anything - even his relationship with his mother is awfully strained.

Iwai's narrative is very elliptical and fragmented. It jumps back and forth in time, but it never does that without a proper transition. The signals for transition are mostly subtle - and that's why the film requires patience from the viewer. The unconventional narrative strikes deep into how it feels like to be an emotionally stressed teenager today.

Iwai's form is intriguing yet a bit challenging. Mostly handheld camerawork and internet messages flashing on the screen might be a bit hard to get used to - luckily the opening of the film makes the viewer ready for the rest of the film. Even though the film was shot with digital cameras, it is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen - the compositions and the colors are gorgeous. The haunting musical score featuring songs of a fictional musician is haunting: especially Salyu's vocals linger on one's mind for hours after the credits.

All About Lily Chou-Chou is a film I completely and utterly love because it is a complex portrayal of modern youth that hits me harder than most of other films put together.

Score: 10 out of 10