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Poster for All About Lily Chou-Chou

All About Lily Chou-Chou

Seen it?

2001 | 146 min | Drama, Crime

Saturday Special

Why it’s a Saturday Special

It earned strong reviews (73 on Metacritic) and it made about 5 times its budget. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for crime-drama fans. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood
Dark and gritty.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 26 min.
What might put you off
  • It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
  • Audiences were cooler on it than critics.

Charts the troubled teenage years of students Yūichi Hasumi and Shūsuke Hoshino, exploring the shifting and complex power dynamics of their relationship against the backdrop of Yūichi's love for the dreamy and abstract music of pop star Lily Chou-Chou.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsStrong

    73 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesSolid

    7.5 out of 10

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Box office & staying powerStrong

    $7 million worldwide on a $1 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactSolid

    About 181K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Shunji Iwai

  • Hayato IchiharaYūichi Hasumi
  • Shugo OshinariShūsuke Hoshino
  • Yu AoiShiori Tsuda
  • Ayumi ItoYōko Kuno
  • Issey TakahashiIkeda-senpai
  • Ryo KatsujiShioske Terawaki
  • Takao OsawaTabito Takao
  • Tomohiro KakuMasashi Tadano
  • Kazusa MatsudaSumika Kanzaki
  • Takahito HosoyamadaKentarō Sasaki