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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Video Quality
All About Lily Chou-Chou returns to Blu-Ray courtesy of Film Movement Classics with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio that appears to be the same disc first released by the label in 2019. We have never seen any previous release of this film, but it is our understanding that this release handily trumps any previous copy of this one from other territories. This movie has a very aggressive style that makes it somewhat challenging to evaluate by normal standards of transfers. There are large stretches of this film that we would not call beautiful, but everything appears authentic to the techniques and technology used in capturing this film.
During the traditional photographic techniques, the presentation is quite formidable in terms of overall detail quality as elements are capably defined with little in the way of blemishes or any sort of digital artifacts. There may be a few minute pixels out of line, but overall clarity and detail are mighty impressive. The shots inside domestic spaces are packed with discrete details in the production design that is on full display thanks to this transfer. The picture loses a slight amount of crispness in long shots and shadowy moments, but this barely registers as an issue. Colors make it through decently saturated for a lovely pop to the clothing and elements of the production design.
Where some may find issues with the presentation is the abrasive stylistic choices of cinematographer Noboru Shinoda. Large sections of this movie are caught “home video style” which conjures a lot of soft and pixelated imagery. This is also somewhat of a night vision element to sequences that are complemented by searing hot light that is overexposed and blooming. Black levels hold up a bit better with little in the way of crush, but there are still some weak corners you will discover. Digital noise does not present as an egregious issue here. It may not always be beautiful, but it is honest to the original intention of the creative team. There is a lot to appreciate about this transfer, but you need to be sure you are on board with the stylistic journey this takes you on.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a solid DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original Japanese with optional English subtitles. Dialogue comes through clearly and never gets overwhelmed by competing sounds. Environmental noises such as the bustling of hallways at school and other sound effects are rendered favorably alongside everything else. The surround sound presentation is not too aggressive, but it extends the soundscape in subtle ways such as the music and certain environmental details. The music in the film sounds great throughout with first-rate fidelity. There do not seem to be any substantial instances of age-related wear and tear. Film Movement Classics has done a great job with the audio portion of the disc.
Special Features
This Blu-Ray set includes a multi-page booklet featuring the essays “From A Movie To Another Movie” by director Shunji Iwai and “Cruel Stories Of Youth” by film scholar Stephen Cremin. The essays provide a great analysis of the themes of the story, composition and more. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- The Making of All About Lily Chou-Chou: A massive 86-minute archival documentary is provided which details the origins of the project, the mysterious online community that originated prior to the film, the experiences of the performers, the production process, and much more that gives you all kinds of interesting facets to delve into.
Final Thoughts
All About Lily Chou-Chou is a very challenging narrative, but it rewards those who stick with it and engage with it. This is the type of film that you want to rewatch after you have all of the pieces just to see what facets you missed trying to digest the first time around. Director Shunji Iwai is ruthless when it comes to portraying the reality of teenagers who are being pulled apart in every direction. The runtime is a bit daunting no matter what way you slice it, but it does allow you to get more context for these characters which forms an emotional connection. This is the type of film that will leave you dazed after watching it, but you will be glad you experienced it. Film Movement Classics has released a Blu-Ray that features a nice A/V presentation and a hefty making-of featurette. Recommended
All About Lily Chou-Chou is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Film Movement Classics and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
