All About Lily Chou-Chou
Short description
Yūichi Hasumi is a quiet middle-school student who retreats from a hostile school life into an online community built around the ethereal pop singer Lily Chou-Chou. His friendship with Shūsuke Hoshino, formed in the kendo club, changes after the two boys travel with classmates to Okinawa, and the power between them shifts as Hoshino turns on those around him. While Yūichi seeks refuge in Lily's music and in the message boards shared by her fans, the cruelty of his everyday world closes in.
Shunji Iwai directed and wrote the screenplay, his sixth film as director in a career of sixteen, following April Story and preceding Jam Films. Naoki Hashimoto produced for WOWOW, JVC, Rockwell Eyes and OORONG-SHA. The cast is led by Hayato Ichihara as Yūichi, Shugo Oshinari as Hoshino, Yu Aoi, Ayumi Ito, Issey Takahashi and Ryo Katsuji, among twenty credited performers.
Released in Japan in October 2001, the film had a budget of about one million dollars and took roughly seven million dollars worldwide. It holds a rating of 7.5 out of 10 on IMDb from around 14,000 votes and the same rating on TMDB from over 300 votes, indicating a widely seen film with a consistently favourable reception.
What's left behind the scenes
- The idea for the film about rock star Lili Chou-Chou was inspired by the image of Chinese singer and actress Fei Wong.
- Ayumi Ito (who played Yoko) specifically learned to play the piano in order to perform in the film without a body double. She even set Claude Debussy's "Arabesque No. 1" as her ringtone.
- Ayumi Ito actually cut her hair for the role.
- At one point, someone mentions that the mother of Shugo Oshinari's character resembles Izumi Inamori. This character is indeed played by Inamori.
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