Swallowtail Butterfly (film)
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| Swallowtail Butterfly | |
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| Directed by | Shunji Iwai |
| Produced by | Shinya Kawai |
| Written by | Shunji Iwai |
| Starring | Hiroshi Mikami, Chara, Ayumi Ito Yosuke Eguchi Andy Hui Atsuro Watabe |
| Music by | Takeshi Kobayashi |
| Cinematography | Noboru Shinoda |
| Release date(s) | 1996 |
| Running time | 148 min. |
| Language | Japanese, English, Mandarin |
| IMDb profile | |
Swallowtail (スワロウテイル Suwarōtēru), also known as Swallowtail Butterfly or Yentown, is a 1996 movie by Japanese film director Shunji Iwai, starring Hiroshi Mikami, Chara and Ayumi Ito.
The film covers a wide array of themes and genres, from social-realism, to coming-of-age to crime. Because of this, it has been both applauded and criticized by viewers.
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[edit] Cast
- Hiroshi Mikami (Fei Hong)
- Chara (Glico)
- Ayumi Ito (Ageha)
- Yosuke Eguchi (Ryo Ranki)
- Andy Hui (Mao Fu)
- Atsuro Watabe (Ran)
- Tomoko Yamaguchi (Shen Mei)
- Nene Otsuka (Reiko)
- Kaori Momoi (Suzukino)
[edit] Plot summary
"Once upon a time, when the yen was the most powerful force in the world, the city overflowed with immigrants, like a gold rush boom town. They came in search of yen, snatching up yen. And the immigrants called the city Yentown. But the Japanese hated that name. So they referred to those yen thieves as Yentowns. It's a bit puzzling, but "Yentown" meant both the city and the outcasts. If they worked hard, earned a pocketful of yen, and returned home, they were rich men. It sounds like a fairy tale, but it was a paradise of yen, "Yentown". And this is the story of Yentowns in Yentown."
Swallowtail Butterfly takes place in an alternate Japan, in a ghetto where immigrants from all over the world have come to Tokyo to make their fortune. Sixteen-year-old Ageha (Ito), a young girl whose mother has just died, is passed on from person to person until a prostitute named Glico (Chara) finally takes pity on her.
Under Glico's care, Ageha has many experiences with the other poverty-stricken immigrants in Yentown. Eventually, due to a sudden twist in fate, the immigrants are given a chance to realize their dreams. But in doing so, they destroy their solidarity, and have to face their problems separately.
[edit] Awards
- 1997 Japanese Academy Awards - Newcomer of the Year (Ayumi Ito)
- 1997 Japanese Academy Awards - Most Popular Film
- 1998 Fant-Asia Film Festival - Best Asian Film
Swallowtail Butterfly was also nominated for but did not win the following awards:
- 1997 Japanese Academy Awards - Best Actress (Chara)
- 1997 Japanese Academy Awards - Best Art Direction (Yohei Taneda)
- 1997 Japanese Academy Awards - Best Cinematography (Noboru Shinoda)
- 1997 Japanese Academy Awards - Best Film
- 1997 Japanese Academy Awards - Best Lighting (Yuuki Nakamura)
- 1997 Japanese Academy Awards - Best Sound (Osamu Takizawa)
- 1997 Japanese Academy Awards - Best Supporting Actress (Ayumi Ito)
- 1997 Moscow International Film Festival - Golden St. George Award
[edit] Trivia
- Swallowtail Butterfly was shot entirely on hand-held cameras.
- Chara, who portrays Glico, is also a singer in real life.
- The name "Ageha" is the Japanese word for "swallowtail".
[edit] Box office gross
Japan: ¥5, 375, 601, 000
