All About Lily Chou-Chou: When the Ether isn’t Enough in the World of Grey

00:24:42
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8XxDSxNvPM

Summary

TLDR'All About Lily Chocho' is a 2001 film that delves into themes of youth disconnection, struggles with identity, and societal pressure in Japan during a turbulent period. The story follows Yuichi, a teenager seeking solace in the music of an underground rock star, Lily Chocho, as he navigates complex relationships with friends and experiences significant life-altering moments. Through non-linear storytelling and engaging cinematography, the film captures the emotional turmoil common among youth while also reflecting broader societal issues stemming from the country's economic struggles. Its portrayal of technology as both a connecting and isolating force remains relevant in today's digital age, offering insights into the challenges faced by modern teenagers.

Takeaways

  • 🌌 The film explores deep themes of loneliness and disconnection.
  • 🎵 Music is a central element, symbolizing emotional experiences.
  • 🌀 It uses a non-linear narrative to enhance storytelling.
  • ⚖ The impact of Japan's economic struggles is significant to the characters' experiences.
  • 👥 The story is relatable to modern youth facing digital isolation.
  • 💔 It tackles heavy issues like violence, bullying, and trauma.
  • 🎬 Visually striking with innovative cinematography techniques.
  • 🔥 Highlights the importance of understanding teenage dilemmas today.
  • 📖 Provides a poignant reflection on societal expectations of youth.
  • 🌊 The film’s climax serves as a commentary on self-worth and relationships.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    The video starts with a discussion about pivotal life moments that shape one's identity and transitions, introducing the film 'All About Lily Chocho' as a nuanced exploration of loneliness and disconnection in the internet age. The speaker reflects on their initial struggles to grasp the film's narrative structure, highlighting its non-linear storytelling that emphasizes feelings of disconnection, which resonates with their first viewing experience.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    The film is narrated through the life of Yuichi, a 14-year-old boy who is introduced via a dreamlike sequence, establishing his desire for solitude. As the story unfolds, Yuichi's interactions in a chat room about an alt-rock star, Lily Chocho, intertwine with his troubling real-life experiences, including an incident of stealing and school bullying. These events set a tone of despair and reflect the broader themes of youth alienation.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Flashbacks reveal a stark contrast in Yuichi's life before the events at the beach, showing a time of friendship before tragedy strikes, which initiates a transformation in his friend, Hoshino. As the narrative progresses, it delves into the ramifications of Hoshino’s trauma, leading to increasingly dark behaviors. The film intricately portrays their declining relationships and personal struggles, highlighting a culture of bullying and emotional trauma among youth.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:24:42

    The climax crescendos as Yuichi’s journey culminates in a heartbreaking revelation at a Lily Chocho concert, symbolizing their collective experiences of pain and isolation. The video concludes by contextualizing the film within the cultural and economic backdrop of late 90s Japan, emphasizing its relevance to contemporary issues of youth disconnection, and touting it as an essential viewing for understanding today's societal challenges. The speaker underscores the film's impact and its resonant message that reassures modern youth of their feelings amidst struggles with isolation.

Show more

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What is 'All About Lily Chocho' about?

    It's a film exploring the themes of loneliness, disconnection, and the struggles of Japanese youth in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

  • What narrative style does the film use?

    It employs a non-linear narrative, beginning in the second act and weaving through various character experiences.

  • How does technology play a role in the film?

    It captures the essence of youth rage and disconnection in Japanese society during the 1990s and early 2000s.

  • What sets this film apart from others of its genre?

    It goes beyond typical coming-of-age stories, presenting a more profound commentary on societal pressures and individual struggles.

  • Is the film relevant to today's youth?

    Yes, its themes resonate with contemporary issues of isolation and mental health faced by teenagers today.

  • Who directed 'All About Lily Chocho'?

    The film was directed by Shunji Iwai.

  • What is the significance of music in the film?

    Music acts as a connection point for characters and reflects their emotional states and experiences.

  • What was the impact of Japan's 'lost decade' on the film's themes?

    The economic recession influenced the portrayal of youth disillusionment and societal expectations.

  • How does the film conclude?

    The conclusion offers a shocking resolution that highlights the complexities of the characters' relationships and their struggles.

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  • 00:00:02
    [Music]
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    [Applause]
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    [Music]
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    oh
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    [Music]
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    oh
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    [Music]
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    [Music]
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    is
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    [Applause]
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    [Music]
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    [Applause]
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    [Music]
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    [Music]
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    see
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    [Music]
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    oh
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    i am
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    [Music]
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    everyone always has their moments they
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    deem
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    important or life-altering
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    most of the time we are reminded of the
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    good times when we think about them
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    first day of school
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    regardless of what school graduation
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    marriage if you really want to go that
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    far or when you had your first kid
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    but to really sink in and experience
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    those moments
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    there's always that one instance where
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    you instinctively know
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    you've grown up one of the more honest
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    and ambitious examples of this is the
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    2001 film all about lily chocho one of
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    the first films to incorporate themes of
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    loneliness and disconnection with the
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    internet
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    and yet it's a complex and mesmerizing
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    movie
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    about looking for salvation from all the
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    ethereal monotony
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    the new age has introduced the world
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    while also trying to break free from
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    these societal norms japan has put
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    on its youth for decades
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    this was the hardest thing i've watched
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    for a video so far
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    like when i watched this for the first
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    time i had no
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    idea what the hell was going on
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    fortunately that's
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    not the case obviously i've watched it
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    like two or three times
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    but when i did find out how the film was
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    constructed it was
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    interesting and as i looked more into it
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    fitting now all about lily chocho is
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    told in a non-linear narrative but
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    not in the way we all picture it not
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    like films like
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    pulp fiction or magnolia where it's just
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    a bunch of stories connected into one
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    story
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    this is this is just one story one
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    timeline
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    it just so happens that the movie begins
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    not with the first act
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    but with the second act and the inciting
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    incident happens midway through the film
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    this is just one of a number of
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    decisions made on all fronts of all
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    about lily chocho which relate
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    thematically to feeling disconnected
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    or feeling lost just like what i was
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    when i saw this film for the first time
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    the film intended for me to feel that
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    way a reminder that this isn't just
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    any ordinary coming of age film it was
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    at that moment i knew
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    this this was an experience
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    set in the year 2000 the actual movie
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    begins with a hypnotic dreamlike
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    sequence which sees our first main
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    character
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    let's say 14 year old yuichi with
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    headphones on
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    listening to music which frequently cuts
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    into white text on a black screen
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    this is brilliant because before we know
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    anything about this dude we know he's
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    the type of person who wants to be in
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    his
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    own space his own world and later on we
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    find out why
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    it's later revealed the text is a part
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    of a conversation in a chat room run by
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    yuichi
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    who goes under the name philia
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    surrounding the underground alt rock
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    star lily
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    chocha with philia being the name of i
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    believe lily's former band or the band
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    that she used to be with
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    it frequently cuts between his
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    conversations and his life as we are
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    introduced to his family
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    and the prospect of having his name
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    changed and the gang of boys he hangs
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    out with
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    among them a boy named hoshino who
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    mainly treats him like [ __ ]
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    back at the chat room a new fan arrives
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    named
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    blue cat and talk of a new lily album is
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    making the rounds but unfortunately
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    back in real life when that album is
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    released
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    yuichi steals it from a music store and
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    gets caught
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    a teacher from yuichi's school saves him
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    from being arrested
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    and his mother only expresses
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    disappointment and sports a
  • 00:06:05
    boys will be boys type of attitude about
  • 00:06:07
    the whole matter
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    this is also where we are introduced to
  • 00:06:10
    yuichi's love interest kuno
  • 00:06:12
    and the school they both go to the group
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    he hangs out with finds out he got
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    caught stealing and he gets
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    beaten up and humiliated by them life
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    is pretty depressing for uiji but it
  • 00:06:24
    wasn't
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    always that way as we go back in time to
  • 00:06:27
    one year earlier in 1999 back when
  • 00:06:30
    yuichi and hoshino were good friends
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    and the latter was the best student in
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    their class one night oshino tells
  • 00:06:36
    yuichi that
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    nobody understands him to which he
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    introduces him to
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    lily chocho and her music fast forward
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    to that summer and yuichi hoshino and a
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    few friends go on a trip to the beach
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    meanwhile they meet a man who seems
  • 00:06:50
    genuinely happy to be there
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    as he tells him it's his fourth time
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    there and he
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    just is a fan of nature but later that
  • 00:06:59
    day they find the man again
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    only he wasn't alive
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    he had just jumped in front of a bus he
  • 00:07:07
    died in his happy place
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    things only get more scarring the next
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    day when the film's inciting incident
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    takes place as hoshido almost drowns at
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    the beach
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    this changes everybody on the trip but
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    none more than hoshino
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    a once bright student no longer the same
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    once school starts there he attacks
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    another kid who was bullying their
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    classmates he pushes the desk out from
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    under him
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    and throws a chair at him they would
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    further humiliate him after school by
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    cutting off his hair and making him
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    crawl in the mud
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    as the days go by hoshino starts smoking
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    and quits the kendo club where he was an
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    avid member with uichi
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    not long afterwards the year 2000
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    arrives known as the
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    age of gray in the chat room and hoshino
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    has only gotten worse
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    he blackmails a girl named suda and
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    yuichi's class into what is known as
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    anjokosai or to put it simply
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    prostitution
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    and yuichi is ordered to follow her and
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    collect her money
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    to which she only gets a small cut
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    basically hoshino told yuichi to be her
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    pimp
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    on their way home suda shows how
  • 00:08:11
    emotionally traumatized she's become in
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    all of this in an emotional scene and
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    tries to clean herself of what had
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    happened with the garden hose when she
  • 00:08:18
    gets home
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    for a little bit we are introduced more
  • 00:08:20
    to yuichi's love interest kuno as she
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    becomes ostracized by her class
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    as even though she's an excellent
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    pianist none of her students want her to
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    play and they bully her off
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    the second big moment in the film occurs
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    when yuichi who becomes a droid to
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    hoshino's bullying
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    allows for cuno to be raped while this
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    happens the other girls are watching and
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    laughing and yuichi is crying to the
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    side
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    showing how far the two have come in
  • 00:08:45
    comparison when they were still friends
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    the next day yuichi meets suda again not
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    sad
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    or traumatized but desensitized at the
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    work they forced upon her
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    like yuichi and hoshino she has changed
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    as well
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    their conversation ends when yuichi
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    gives her the cd of lily's first album
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    the third act begins back in the chat
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    room where yuichi admits the blue cat
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    that he has thought about committing
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    suicide multiple times but he couldn't
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    get himself to do it
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    to which blue cat responds that they
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    understand
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    what he's going through we cut back to
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    the field
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    only it's not yuichi this time it's
  • 00:09:22
    hoshino
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    the pieces come together we discover
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    blue cat is
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    hoshino now the only question is
  • 00:09:31
    when will yuichi find out meanwhile we
  • 00:09:34
    cut the suda walking on a field watching
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    the kites above her fly in the air and
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    she ends up actually messing around with
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    the guys who are flying those kites as
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    she ends up flying one herself
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    she's always wanted to know what it felt
  • 00:09:48
    like to fly like a kite
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    unfortunately she tried
  • 00:09:56
    the final resolution is put into place
  • 00:09:58
    when yuichi discovers lily chocho is
  • 00:10:00
    playing live in tokyo but hoshino throws
  • 00:10:02
    away his ticket
  • 00:10:04
    so we can't go to the concert leading to
  • 00:10:06
    one of the most heartbreaking scenes in
  • 00:10:07
    the film
  • 00:10:08
    where yuichi is dwarfed by the large
  • 00:10:11
    screen
  • 00:10:12
    in front of the venue when the concert
  • 00:10:14
    ends hoshino runs into yuichi quickly
  • 00:10:16
    chats with him
  • 00:10:17
    and goes on his way yuichi then screams
  • 00:10:20
    at the top of his lungs that lily is
  • 00:10:21
    outside prompting the fans to run back
  • 00:10:23
    to the venue
  • 00:10:24
    there while nobody noticed yuichi
  • 00:10:27
    stabs and kills hoshino
  • 00:10:30
    the true resolution of the film in this
  • 00:10:33
    context by taking someone else's life
  • 00:10:35
    yuichi and everyone else affected by
  • 00:10:37
    hoshino
  • 00:10:38
    can begin their lives all over again the
  • 00:10:41
    credits roll and more text appears on
  • 00:10:43
    the screen
  • 00:10:44
    all the while we see all the characters
  • 00:10:46
    in that same field
  • 00:10:48
    listening the lily's music a way to
  • 00:10:50
    express how similar their experiences
  • 00:10:52
    have been
  • 00:10:53
    throughout the entire film from what
  • 00:11:00
    i've said in the plot just now there are
  • 00:11:02
    a lot of heavy topics mentioned and
  • 00:11:04
    demonstrated in the film but to really
  • 00:11:06
    understand
  • 00:11:07
    the significance of lily chocho as well
  • 00:11:10
    as why i'm talking about this film in
  • 00:11:12
    particular
  • 00:11:13
    we got to take a look at the years that
  • 00:11:14
    preceded the film's production
  • 00:11:16
    and release in 1991 at the beginning of
  • 00:11:19
    what is known as the lost decade in
  • 00:11:21
    japan caused by the collapse of the
  • 00:11:23
    country's asset price bubble
  • 00:11:24
    plunging it into an economic recession
  • 00:11:27
    that unfortunately
  • 00:11:28
    they're still feeling the effects of to
  • 00:11:29
    this day but back then it proved
  • 00:11:32
    horrible for the youth of the 90s as
  • 00:11:34
    they collectively came to a realization
  • 00:11:36
    that they're never going to rise up to
  • 00:11:38
    the standards their parents and country
  • 00:11:40
    rose them to achieve and eventually they
  • 00:11:42
    would go against the japanese people and
  • 00:11:44
    their four standards
  • 00:11:46
    leading to a wave of youth rage in the
  • 00:11:48
    90s that range from
  • 00:11:49
    bullying in schools backed by a 1996
  • 00:11:52
    study with the rates of
  • 00:11:53
    bullying in both middle and high schools
  • 00:11:55
    rose sharply
  • 00:11:57
    to arrest which is also backed by a
  • 00:11:59
    study showing the arrests in minors have
  • 00:12:01
    doubled since 1990
  • 00:12:02
    to singular incidents that i refuse to
  • 00:12:05
    not only mention
  • 00:12:06
    but show in this video because they
  • 00:12:09
    are some of the most disturbing stuff
  • 00:12:12
    i've ever read
  • 00:12:13
    in my entire life and i'm not even that
  • 00:12:16
    squeamish
  • 00:12:17
    and just talking about it to you guys
  • 00:12:19
    would just be
  • 00:12:20
    wrong like i refuse to believe some of
  • 00:12:24
    that's even real
  • 00:12:26
    but regardless this craze has gone on
  • 00:12:28
    for
  • 00:12:29
    long enough and has been going on so
  • 00:12:31
    often
  • 00:12:32
    that films were made on the teen
  • 00:12:35
    delinquency genre
  • 00:12:36
    exploring either the topic itself or the
  • 00:12:39
    factors around its relevance
  • 00:12:40
    the genre first catapulted into the
  • 00:12:42
    mainstream in 1996 with the takashi mike
  • 00:12:45
    film fudo the new generation
  • 00:12:47
    regarded as one of his more essential
  • 00:12:49
    films about a group of teenage assassins
  • 00:12:51
    the peak of this trend was the 2000 cult
  • 00:12:53
    classic battle royale
  • 00:12:55
    which is set in a dystopian future where
  • 00:12:57
    youth rage has gotten so bad
  • 00:12:59
    japanese legislation signed what is
  • 00:13:01
    known as the br act
  • 00:13:03
    and the movie pits a group of teenagers
  • 00:13:05
    against each other in a lord of the
  • 00:13:06
    flies-esque scenario all for the
  • 00:13:08
    government's enjoyment
  • 00:13:10
    and after a 1998 study came out which
  • 00:13:12
    states
  • 00:13:13
    that 152 students committed suicide
  • 00:13:16
    during the calendar year
  • 00:13:17
    director sion sono got the idea to make
  • 00:13:19
    the 2001 film suicide club
  • 00:13:22
    which revolves around a suicide cult
  • 00:13:23
    full of school children
  • 00:13:25
    and the adults who passed it off as a
  • 00:13:26
    fad popularized by the media
  • 00:13:29
    and right from the opening scene you
  • 00:13:30
    could tell how insane this film is
  • 00:13:33
    and again i'm not gonna say it
  • 00:13:36
    because i care about you guys hell if
  • 00:13:38
    you go farther down the rabbit hole
  • 00:13:40
    there's even a fair amount of anime
  • 00:13:42
    which also touches on this topic
  • 00:13:43
    thematically in a way like evangelion
  • 00:13:47
    veiled up by a very thin thread and
  • 00:13:50
    one of the more iconic ones that pop up
  • 00:13:52
    in my mind especially when it comes to
  • 00:13:54
    how teenagers think and their
  • 00:13:56
    development
  • 00:13:57
    fully coolly nothing amazing happens
  • 00:14:00
    here
  • 00:14:01
    everything is ordinary meanwhile as the
  • 00:14:04
    late 90s crept around the corner
  • 00:14:06
    technology played a bigger part of
  • 00:14:08
    society as well as the ramifications of
  • 00:14:11
    its use in everyday life
  • 00:14:13
    would be taken advantage by jayhorr
  • 00:14:15
    creating a sub-genre known as
  • 00:14:17
    techno-horror
  • 00:14:18
    starting with the 1998 classic ringu
  • 00:14:20
    about a haunted videotape and that one
  • 00:14:22
    scene with the tv and joon the grudge
  • 00:14:30
    [Applause]
  • 00:14:35
    i don't know how they pulled that off
  • 00:14:36
    but that's badass the use of technology
  • 00:14:38
    would take
  • 00:14:39
    a more existential angle on the 2001
  • 00:14:42
    horror film pulse
  • 00:14:43
    directed by kiyoshi kurosawa the film
  • 00:14:45
    follows two different plot lines of two
  • 00:14:47
    people who find their friends have
  • 00:14:48
    either gone missing
  • 00:14:50
    or have gone into states of depression
  • 00:14:51
    after using their computers the source
  • 00:14:53
    from one story a floppy disk
  • 00:14:55
    and the source for the other a new isp
  • 00:14:58
    or internet
  • 00:14:59
    service provider new internet after
  • 00:15:01
    years of films made either acknowledging
  • 00:15:03
    the situation exists
  • 00:15:04
    and or profiting off of it pulse feels
  • 00:15:07
    like the first film which offers
  • 00:15:09
    audiences some insight as to why it's
  • 00:15:11
    still around
  • 00:15:12
    in a way it's a psa about the dangers of
  • 00:15:14
    the internet and technology disguised as
  • 00:15:17
    a horror film
  • 00:15:18
    but eight months after the film's
  • 00:15:20
    release all about lily chocho was
  • 00:15:22
    released into theaters and would end up
  • 00:15:23
    serving as the antithesis of what pulse
  • 00:15:26
    stands for
  • 00:15:27
    instead of the internet being the cause
  • 00:15:29
    of the damage the movie also
  • 00:15:31
    shows it works as a possible solution
  • 00:15:34
    something these kids can go
  • 00:15:35
    and feel safe and be away from the real
  • 00:15:38
    world which is which was becoming more
  • 00:15:40
    dangerous by the year
  • 00:15:41
    which leads me to the reasons why i'm
  • 00:15:43
    talking about this film
  • 00:15:44
    first off i have never heard anybody
  • 00:15:47
    talk about this movie granted it's a
  • 00:15:48
    comic of age film and all the other
  • 00:15:50
    films i just mentioned were thrillers
  • 00:15:52
    and horror films
  • 00:15:53
    but thematically they come from the same
  • 00:15:54
    place and out of all these films
  • 00:15:57
    this one in my opinion has aged the best
  • 00:16:01
    because all those other films were
  • 00:16:03
    mainly made for
  • 00:16:04
    japanese audiences when you look under
  • 00:16:06
    the surface of just a cult
  • 00:16:08
    genre classic lily chocho touches on
  • 00:16:11
    themes of
  • 00:16:11
    violence isolation and disconnection in
  • 00:16:14
    a more general way
  • 00:16:15
    which where it appeals to more than just
  • 00:16:19
    a japanese audience a trend which would
  • 00:16:21
    continue
  • 00:16:22
    in the decades to come throughout many
  • 00:16:24
    different platforms especially
  • 00:16:26
    anime where easily the the first thing
  • 00:16:29
    that pops into my mind
  • 00:16:30
    are the films of makoto shinkai
  • 00:16:33
    someone who probably was inspired by a
  • 00:16:36
    number of aspects
  • 00:16:37
    of this movie especially when it came to
  • 00:16:39
    technology
  • 00:16:40
    uh disconnection i'm getting some garden
  • 00:16:42
    of words vibes
  • 00:16:43
    if i'm going to be completely honest
  • 00:16:45
    with you here the music was a
  • 00:16:46
    collaborative effort between
  • 00:16:48
    the director shunji iwai singer
  • 00:16:50
    ayakomori aka
  • 00:16:52
    salyu who hadn't made her debut at the
  • 00:16:54
    time and music producer takashi
  • 00:16:56
    kobayashi who worked with ewy before
  • 00:16:58
    on a previous film singles were being
  • 00:17:01
    released in april 2000 and
  • 00:17:03
    salyu who went under the name of lily
  • 00:17:05
    chojo would perform
  • 00:17:06
    on the music show's heihei hey music
  • 00:17:09
    champ on june 19th
  • 00:17:11
    and music station four days later on
  • 00:17:13
    june 23rd
  • 00:17:14
    in the film's universe lily released her
  • 00:17:16
    debut album erotic in 1998 and her
  • 00:17:19
    second album
  • 00:17:20
    kokyu or breath the following year while
  • 00:17:23
    in actuality
  • 00:17:24
    kokyu is her debut record and was
  • 00:17:26
    released a week and a half
  • 00:17:27
    after the film did and a couple of years
  • 00:17:29
    later the
  • 00:17:30
    track healing wounds would be used in
  • 00:17:33
    the tarantino film kill bill volume 1
  • 00:17:35
    although if you try to find it in the
  • 00:17:37
    film soundtrack
  • 00:17:38
    it's nowhere to be found
  • 00:17:47
    [Music]
  • 00:17:52
    [Laughter]
  • 00:17:53
    [Music]
  • 00:17:57
    since then the lily chocho name has
  • 00:17:59
    rarely been used until
  • 00:18:01
    2010 when the digital single ether was
  • 00:18:03
    released
  • 00:18:04
    but ever since salyu would debut under
  • 00:18:06
    her own name in 2004 and has since been
  • 00:18:08
    performing lily chocho songs live
  • 00:18:11
    and is pretty open with having it be a
  • 00:18:13
    part of her discography
  • 00:18:20
    the idea for the film was first
  • 00:18:21
    conceived in april of 2000
  • 00:18:23
    the same time the film's story is set
  • 00:18:26
    when ey created a fake
  • 00:18:28
    message board called lily holick where
  • 00:18:30
    he would post fake messages to each
  • 00:18:31
    other
  • 00:18:32
    and fans on the of the site can respond
  • 00:18:34
    to the messages that were posted so far
  • 00:18:36
    on a bulletin board system
  • 00:18:38
    after the main incident of the film
  • 00:18:39
    occurred the site was taken down the
  • 00:18:42
    only place where you can read the novel
  • 00:18:43
    is on a cd
  • 00:18:44
    but it's only been released in japan
  • 00:18:48
    four months after the internet novel
  • 00:18:49
    began production on the film began
  • 00:18:51
    and concluded in late september of 2000
  • 00:18:54
    more info is posted on the film's
  • 00:18:55
    official website but unfortunately when
  • 00:18:57
    you go there now
  • 00:18:58
    you're reminded that flash is dead but
  • 00:19:01
    when the site was up apparently you
  • 00:19:02
    could read a couple of fake news
  • 00:19:04
    articles which directly connect to the
  • 00:19:05
    climax of the film
  • 00:19:07
    in the movie the messages give off the
  • 00:19:09
    idea that a the ether is everywhere as
  • 00:19:11
    seen by how the messages are
  • 00:19:13
    interspersed throughout the film
  • 00:19:14
    and b the rock star lily chocho is the
  • 00:19:17
    either
  • 00:19:18
    personified something which was hinted
  • 00:19:20
    on in that first conversation when many
  • 00:19:23
    lily fans say
  • 00:19:24
    she is exactly that because she was born
  • 00:19:26
    on the exact day
  • 00:19:28
    and the exact time on december 8 1980
  • 00:19:32
    at 10 50 p.m when john lennon was
  • 00:19:35
    assassinated
  • 00:19:36
    and they say jon had the ether which is
  • 00:19:38
    described in the film as the fabric of
  • 00:19:40
    the universe
  • 00:19:40
    and the many emotions one feels every
  • 00:19:42
    day like hope or despair
  • 00:19:44
    this is also further proven by how much
  • 00:19:46
    lily's music is played throughout the
  • 00:19:47
    film's
  • 00:19:48
    two and a half hour run time at the time
  • 00:19:51
    of the film's release ewy
  • 00:19:52
    was the first japanese director to use
  • 00:19:54
    an entirely digital video camera the
  • 00:19:56
    since discontinued sony hdw
  • 00:19:59
    f900 also known as a cine alta camera
  • 00:20:02
    which replicates many of the features of
  • 00:20:04
    a
  • 00:20:05
    35 millimeter film camera and it was
  • 00:20:07
    thought
  • 00:20:08
    ey was inspired to do this after seeing
  • 00:20:10
    his friend fellow director hideaki anno
  • 00:20:13
    use digital in his live-action debut
  • 00:20:15
    love and pop which was released in 1998.
  • 00:20:18
    it's the choice of camera and the
  • 00:20:20
    cinematography by nomadu shinoda
  • 00:20:22
    which adds to the overall feel of the
  • 00:20:24
    movie and the dreamy rhythm thanks to
  • 00:20:26
    the film's use of long shots
  • 00:20:28
    and wide angle shots so much so that
  • 00:20:30
    every time there was a wide angle
  • 00:20:32
    close-up
  • 00:20:32
    it felt like i was watching a terence
  • 00:20:34
    malik movie before terence malik adapted
  • 00:20:36
    that style
  • 00:20:37
    which adds on to the notion this film is
  • 00:20:39
    mostly handheld and if isn't
  • 00:20:42
    the framing is still gorgeous it pairs
  • 00:20:45
    well with the smart editing by yoshiharu
  • 00:20:47
    nakagami which is also
  • 00:20:48
    pretty rhythmic and goes well with the
  • 00:20:50
    rebellious nature of the film
  • 00:20:51
    just oozes out in practically every
  • 00:20:53
    chance they get
  • 00:20:54
    cutting at key moments after long shots
  • 00:20:56
    to give off that attitude while also
  • 00:20:59
    other sequences are shot like music
  • 00:21:01
    videos cutting to the rhythm
  • 00:21:03
    of the music in order to show how
  • 00:21:05
    connected those characters are
  • 00:21:07
    to lily's music
  • 00:21:13
    going back to what i said earlier the
  • 00:21:14
    film sticks out among the other films
  • 00:21:16
    which cover the topic of youth rage
  • 00:21:19
    while it doesn't propose a solution to
  • 00:21:21
    the problem it still puts in more effort
  • 00:21:23
    for the long haul
  • 00:21:24
    and acknowledges it for what it is a
  • 00:21:27
    problem
  • 00:21:28
    while clearly on a different scale there
  • 00:21:30
    is a widespread problem right now with
  • 00:21:31
    kids and high schoolers especially
  • 00:21:34
    experiencing a sense of
  • 00:21:35
    disconnect with themselves and their
  • 00:21:37
    friends after spending over a year
  • 00:21:39
    in front of a computer screen giving
  • 00:21:41
    them this false sense that this is what
  • 00:21:43
    the real world is like
  • 00:21:44
    and it's made to [ __ ] them over among
  • 00:21:47
    other things especially for the ones who
  • 00:21:49
    just graduated and are gonna go out into
  • 00:21:51
    that real world
  • 00:21:53
    fortunately there are a bunch of people
  • 00:21:55
    especially in middle school in high
  • 00:21:57
    school who have found ways to
  • 00:21:58
    cope with how everything is set up but
  • 00:22:02
    unfortunately it's not everyone this is
  • 00:22:04
    also one of the reasons why i decided to
  • 00:22:06
    talk about this movie
  • 00:22:08
    not only do more people need to see it
  • 00:22:10
    because it's a great movie but given the
  • 00:22:12
    climates
  • 00:22:12
    and struggles today's youth us are
  • 00:22:16
    struggling with now that we're at the
  • 00:22:18
    tail end of the pandemic
  • 00:22:20
    it's a movie i think personally a lot of
  • 00:22:23
    people can benefit from watching
  • 00:22:25
    in short all about lily chocho is
  • 00:22:27
    essential for today's isolated world
  • 00:22:29
    because it tells teens what they're
  • 00:22:31
    feeling is normal
  • 00:22:32
    and gives adults an idea of what is
  • 00:22:34
    going on in their kids heads
  • 00:22:36
    the only things i could say the film
  • 00:22:38
    misses the mark on is is a couple of
  • 00:22:39
    times where it felt like ey
  • 00:22:41
    was a tad too ambitious with the camera
  • 00:22:43
    regarding the 180 rule
  • 00:22:45
    but it did next to nothing to break me
  • 00:22:46
    away from the experience
  • 00:22:48
    overall although the film has a
  • 00:22:50
    non-linear structure that may be
  • 00:22:52
    intimidating on a first
  • 00:22:53
    watch the story is easy to follow and
  • 00:22:55
    was compelling enough to keep me
  • 00:22:57
    interested throughout its
  • 00:22:58
    two and a half hour run time it's
  • 00:23:01
    moments like this why i really latch
  • 00:23:03
    onto movies and just ones that
  • 00:23:06
    especially
  • 00:23:07
    cover topics like this not only does it
  • 00:23:09
    give platforms for people like ey to
  • 00:23:11
    make these
  • 00:23:12
    grand resourceful energetic forms of
  • 00:23:15
    artistic expression
  • 00:23:17
    but when done right we can experience
  • 00:23:19
    what goes on in the minds of someone
  • 00:23:21
    else completely different
  • 00:23:23
    and in this case gives reassurance to
  • 00:23:26
    people like this and basically tells
  • 00:23:27
    them
  • 00:23:28
    hey i know what you're going through
  • 00:23:30
    only it does more than that
  • 00:23:33
    in this case all i can merely do is
  • 00:23:36
    say it is just say that's what the film
  • 00:23:39
    does
  • 00:23:41
    but with all about lily chocho no matter
  • 00:23:43
    who you are
  • 00:23:45
    or what's on your mind the moment you
  • 00:23:46
    press play
  • 00:23:48
    it's more than just a set of words
  • 00:23:52
    it's ethereal my name is payne and this
  • 00:23:56
    was all about lily chojo
  • 00:24:06
    i wanna be
  • 00:24:19
    [Applause]
  • 00:24:19
    [Music]
  • 00:24:24
    i wanna be
  • 00:24:32
    [Music]
  • 00:24:36
    i wanna be
Tags
  • All About Lily Chocho
  • film analysis
  • youth struggles
  • Japanese cinema
  • non-linear narrative
  • technology and youth
  • isolation
  • mental health
  • Shunji Iwai
  • coming of age