All About Lily Chou-Chou
I'd like to introduce this movie as a proof I've seen it during its stay as an underground cult classic, pridefully enough of me. A part of me is devastated that it will soon blow up as it reaches the wannabe cool esoteric kids, especially with the upcoming Mitski album. I'm in a way a gatekeeper, but really can you deny that sort of pleasure you get by enjoying something with a sense of exclusivity that those kids will also have. Unfortunately nothing can be forever limited and you have to be happy for the artist finally gaining their long-deserved exposure.
All about Lily Chou-Chou is apparently not all about Lily Chou-Chou, but about the characters relation to her songs and their lives intertwined to it, in a particularly non-wholesome manner for a coming-of-age film. It seems to revere Lily Chou-Chou, as this sort of untouchable musical deity who somehow affects their lives, gives them comfort, beauty, misfortune, hardships, and so on.
Regardless, this was an absolutely breathtaking, phenomenal film, with rather unconventional but beautiful shots, scenes made powerful with their well-selected choice of tracks, most prominently containing songs by the artist herself, Lily Chou-Chou, voiced by Salyu. Unfortunately with how the scenes are cut, the plot is somewhat difficult to understand - with textposts appearing out of the blue, trying to decipher which belongs to who. But for its beauty, it's still worth the watch.
You can just tell that the entire thing was made with so much love and passion. A follow up documentary of the film's behind the scene containing all kinds of context and director's intention and workflow really brings you to an understanding of the film and his craftsmanship. It takes you to another whole level of appreciation for the director and actors, because surprisingly, most of them are just ordinary school students who pulled off their roles very well with the director's guidance.
It's probably not for everyone as the shots can be somewhat lengthy but if you're a kino appreciator, maybe you'd enjoy something borderline unorthodoxed. Also, you should listen to the album after completing both the movie and behind the scene documentary.