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Story:
Life in the boondocks of rural Ibaraki prefecture is
anything but glamorous, and to escape her humdrum existence,
Momoko, a Lolita, fantasizes about French rococo, dreams
of living in the palace of Versailles, and decks herself
out in the finest (and frilliest) of 18th century haute
couture from an expensive Tokyo specialty store.
Her dreams of an idyllic existence are rudely interrupted
by the appearance of Ichigo, a tough-talking Yanki motorcycle-chick
(on a tricked-out moped) who leads a girls-only biker
gang known as the Ponytails. Together, this unlikely
duo strikes out on a quest to find a legendary embroiderer,
a journey that takes them to back-alley pachinko parlors,
chic boutiques, and epic bike-punk battles.
Review: KAMIKAZE GIRLS, based on the novel (already
a cult-classic in Japan) by Novala Takemoto, is a coming-of-age,
buddy movie. Director Tetsuya Nakashima, who also wrote
the film’s adaptation from the novel, tells a
tale of teenaged rebellion rich in the details, ironies
and contradictions of teenage life. KAMIKAZE GIRLS is
told through the eyes of Momoko, a loner with a touch
of arrogance and aloofness. What she professes at times
conflicts with her actions.
One day Momoko’s world is thrown for a loop when
she meets Ichigo, a tough talking motorcycle chick.
They seem to be from opposite sides of the social spectrum.
They have an uneasy association, but the two teens share
more than they would like to believe. Welcome to the
world of Momoko and Ichigo, two teens looking for direction
and guidance in life. The two form an unusual relationship.
Momoko is snobby, prim and demure while Ichigo, sporting
an Elvis snarl lip, is outrageous and wild. The fun
is in watching the two bond.
Nakashima’s experience in directing and making
commercials really comes into play when he provides
Momoko and Ichigo’s history; each comical montage
reveals their desire to be accepted and to belong. Nakashima
gives KAMIKAZE GIRLS more than skin-deep appeal. Underneath
the frills and lace of Momoko’s baby-doll dresses
and Ichigo’s long and fully embroidered zoot suit
like coat are complexities that provide the film’s
subtext. We see the outward appearances and then the
intricate layers beneath the surfaces that define their
personalities. Momoko’s love of the French rococo
period of sloth and decadence is an overt reaction to
her parents’ divorce and her life being raised
by a wannabe yakuza father, who ends up selling designer
knock-offs (with some touches reminiscent of Jeunet’s
AMELIE). Ichigo is a lost sheep who one night bicycles
off in the rain looking for something that will fill
the emptiness in her life. The little lost girl, Ichigo,
is found by a “Yanki” biker chick and given
guidance, and has not looked back since that bleak,
rainy night.
KAMIKAZE GIRLS is a good reminder of why movies are
such joy when everything comes together in an imaginative
way. KAMIKAZE GIRLS accomplishes this, not because it
is different or bizarre, which it is, but because it
is a tale told with a fine eye for detail and fully
developed characters. We come to know Momoko and Ichigo,
how they live and what they dream. As each attempts
to avoid conformity, they both ultimately come to realize
that they have become what they most dread. They are
not the individuals they prided themselves for being
but members of different groups on the fringe that comfort
their need to belong, but also imposes a different barrier.
A barrier that calls to mind the eloquent phrase by
Groucho Marx: “I wouldn’t want to join a
club that would want me as a member.” Momoko and
Ichigo find what is missing in their lives, a friend
and confidante.
Momoko is played sprightly by J-pop idol Kyoko Fukada.
Her acting range has really widened, having appeared
in a diverse span of work that includes RINGU 2, DOLLS
and a surprising turn in ONMYOJI 2. Ichigo is also given
vibrant screen presence by model-turned-rocker Anna
Tsuchiya. The two inhabit their roles with glee that
is reinforced by director Nakashima’s élan
and brio in bringing this story to life with infectious
delight.
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