Synopsis

Life isn’t easy for a group of high school kids growing up absurd in Japan’s pervasive pop/cyber culture. As they negotiate teen badlands- school bullies, parents from another planet, lurid snapshots of sex and death- these everyday rebels without a cause seek sanctuary, even salvation, through pop star savior Lily Chou-Chou, embracing her sad, dreamy songs and sharing their fears and secrets in Lilyholic chat rooms. Immersed in the speed of everyday troubles, their lives inevitably climax in a fatal collision between real and virtual identities, a final logging-off from innocence.

Awards

Berlin International Film Festival 2002

Won   C.I.C.A.E. Award – Special Mention (Panorama/Shunji Iwai).

Shanghai International Film Festival 2002

Won  Golden Goblet Best Music (Takeshi Kobayashi)

Won  Special Jury Award (Shunji Iwai)

Information

Release date: October 6, 2001 (Japan)

Production Company: Rockwell Eyes

Producer: Naoki Hashimoto, Koko Maeda
Cast: Hayato Ichihara, Shugo Oshinari, Ayumi Ito, Takao Osawa, Miwako Ichikawa, Izumi Inamori, Yu Aoi, Kazusa Matsuda, Ryo Katsuji, Takako Baba, Yuki Ito, Tomohiro Kaku, Hideyuki Kasahara, Kenta Uchino
Director: Shunji Iwai
Screenwriter: Shunji Iwai
Cinematographer: Noboru Ishida

Sound design: Aaron Levy, Melissa Sherwood Hofmann, Osamu Takizawa

Costume design: Hiromi Shintani

146 min

Official website