Swallowtail Butterfly (1996)
Swallowtail Butterfly (1996) 9/10
A stunning, brilliant tour de force by Japanese director Shunji Iwai, Swallowtail Butterfly is one of those films that leave you in awe after watching it. My vote for the Best Japanese film of the 90s. Its quite hard to pin down exactly what it is that makes it work, but the film is simply an enchanting and occasionally dark journey. Shunji Iwai gave hints of his brilliance in his magnificent debut film Love Story (1995), and showed his eye for visuals in The Truth About Lili Chou-Chou (2002) but Swallowtail Butterfly is Iwai’s magnum opus, a film that is beautiful to behold and mesmerizing in its execution.
The film depicts an alternate, semi-futuristic world of Japan, where the Yen is the most powerful currency and immigrants flock to Japan. This is a tale about the lives these immigrants, and how their lives connect and intersect. At the heart of it all is Ayumi Ito as Ageha who puts in an amazing performance. This was the role that made Ayumi Ito a star, and its easy to see why because there is a powerful intensity in her performance. In truth, the entire cast shines and you’ll probably be enchanted by every character. It says alot when even a small role by Mickey Curtis as a doctor manages to dazzle. Shunji Iwai brings out the best of his cast and the result is a masterpiece.
Cinematography-wise, top marks considering its a 1996 film. Expertly shot in verite style for many of the scenes, Iwai manages to convincingly create a futuristic world without need for big budgets or CGI. He simply creates the mood and atmosphere that makes it believable that the film takes place in an alternate universe. Also a film that uses Sinatra’s “My Way” as a theme song definitely deserves brownie points.
Even the choice of languages- the film has a blend of Chinese, Japanese and English dialogue works wonderfully and highlights the melting pot that Yentown has become. Although it was jarring at first to see the cast struggle with its not-very-fluent pronunciations of English and Chinese, the mixture of dialogue soon grows on you.
At the end of the day, the reason why Swallowtail is so good is simply because it has characters that connects with the audience and come alive. Despite the huge cast, parallel storylines and long running time, Iwai never loses control and the final result is a breathtaking piece of filmmaking that surprises, enchants and mesmerizes. One of the top 20 films i have ever seen.
” A shining example of ambitious filmmaking, Shunji Iwai’s dark and genre-defying epic is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.”- LoveHKfilm
“The thing that is certain is that this movie has a powerful story that is full of a lot of emotion. It is something that is bound to leave an affect on you either good or bad but you can never deny that this film has substance. If you already seen a movie by Shunji Iwai and enjoyed it I strongly suggest taking a look at this film.”- KFCC
