All About Lily Chou-Chou

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All About Lily Chou-Chou

2002

2h 26m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

39 Reviews

89%

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5,000+ Ratings

For kids around the world, music is often the only salvation when the pain and anxiety of teenage life becomes too much to bear. Yuichi (Hayato Ichihara) is in the 8th grade and he worships Lily Chou-Chou, a Bjork-like chanteuse whose epic music is lush and transcendent. Yuichi only lives for Lily Chou-Chou's big Tokyo concert, where the lies and violence can be washed away by the presence of his goddess and her powerful music. But fate has yet another obstacle in store for Lily's devoted fan.

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Peter Howell

Toronto Star

03/21/2003

3/5

For all of its insights into the dream world of teen life, and its electronic expression through cyber culture, the film gives no quarter to anyone seeking to pull a cohesive story out of its 2 1/2-hour running time.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

11/29/2002

2/4

This movie is maddening. It conveys a simple message in a visual style that is willfully overwrought.

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Jonathan Curiel

San Francisco Chronicle

11/15/2002

3/4

Once you get into its rhythm ... the movie becomes a heady experience.

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Panos Kotzathanasis

Asian Movie Pulse

12/23/2019

Iwai directs and writes a truly shocking film regarding school alienation and the terrifying cruelty of teenagers that leads to harsh cases of bullying.

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Jason Gorber

Film Scouts

06/21/2007

A-

It is remarkable not for its flamboyance but for its stark honesty, captivating visual flair, and a style of filmmaking that differs from anything on this side of the Pacific.

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Film Threat

12/06/2005

4/5

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Ruiguang W

@RuiguangW Dec 5

Too slow paced, belabors the point of the kids suffering.

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Dominik G

@RT39742932 Jun 15

a little boring sometimes, though its a nice concept for a movie. felt kinda disturbing by the end

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MariofanAlex445 T

@RT47678067 04/29/2025

Ether has to be some kind of energy. Or the music itself is the ether, and that's why it is described as such an escape. Depending on the album, the ether changes meaning... That's why at the end of the movie they explain what kinds of ether there are. Makes sense honestly. Decent little movie about Japanese teenagers who basically have mental breakdowns. Simple enough. The cinematography was really cool, reminded me of how Raising Arizona has that fantastic camera that chases the protagonists around like crazy. When they cut to the handheld camera, I honestly lost track of what was happening. That one scene featuring Shiori was pretty terrifying though. Her secret shame that made her Hoshino's prostitute. I do agree a lot with Roger Ebert, but I also understand that when he started reviewing films, The Graduate starring Dustin Hoffman had just released. Needless to say, he was NOT the target demographic. That silent shot of Tsuda lying there at the bottom of the tower is definitely upsetting. Fine film. 4.5/5 stars, I just wish the message was easier to decipher.

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Suo S

@RT81311956 04/15/2025

Best most life changing movie I have ever seen. vibes were absolutely amazing, characters were so well written and very realistic for that time period. I love how they acted like actual teenagers. Shunji Iwai is genuinely so talented I feel like this has to be a must watch for everyone.

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Starry N

@Starry00 02/14/2025

This was the first Japanese film I ever watched, and it has vividly stuck with me for years.

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Fe Ann Joyce L

@RT50265872 01/29/2025

It's boring. I watched it as I read somewhere it was her one of the enjoyed film. I couldn't connect at it at all. Definitely not my cup of tea.

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Shunji Iwai

Director

Shûgo Oshinari

Shusuke Hoshino

Ayumi Ito

Yoko Kuno

Yû Aoi

Shiori Tsuda

Hayato Ichihara

Yûichi Hasumi

Takao Ohsawa

Tabito Takao

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Synopsis

For kids around the world, music is often the only salvation when the pain and anxiety of teenage life becomes too much to bear. Yuichi (Hayato Ichihara) is in the 8th grade and he worships Lily Chou-Chou, a Bjork-like chanteuse whose epic music is lush and transcendent. Yuichi only lives for Lily Chou-Chou's big Tokyo concert, where the lies and violence can be washed away by the presence of his goddess and her powerful music. But fate has yet another obstacle in store for Lily's devoted fan.

Director: Shunji Iwai
Screenwriter: Shunji Iwai
Distributor: Cowboy Pictures
Production Co: Miramax
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 12, 2002, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $24.8K
Runtime: 2h 26m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, DTS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)