Kamikaze Girls

Runs Fri., Oct. 14–Wed., Oct. 19, at Varsity.

Shoichi Aoki’s Fruits photographs brought the eccentric styles of Japanese youth to the West, and Tetsuya Nakashima animates them in this kawaii (slang for “cute”) story of identity and friendship in small-town Japan. Momoko’s mother is absent, her father emotionally so, and her school life dull—so the 17-year-old escapes through self-imposed isolation and a fantastical “Lolita” lifestyle. Traveling to Tokyo for frilly bonnets and costumes from her favorite design house and munching a breakfast of petits fours, she muses in the narration, “I want to fill myself only with sweet things.”

Momoko (pop star Kyoko Fukada) leads the idle life, like that of an 18th- century aristocrat, so it’s ironic that when Ichigo (another pop star, Anna Tsuchiya) arrives at her door to purchase Versace knockoffs advertised in the paper, Momoko wonders if the snarling “Yanki”—with hilariously tricked-out scooter—is “in a period drama.” The Outsiders comes to mind. Having tired of her gang, the Ponytails, Ichigo head-butts her way into Momoko’s bubble, following her to the shops, and one cafe called “Forest of the Aristocrats,” where Momoko tunes her out by rocking to Strauss on her headphones. As if seeing through Momoko’s idealized gaze, Nakashima’s saturated candy colors make everything pop, and the Tokyo street scenes shimmer with heat. Flashbacks are told in animated sequences. Subtler effects, like glitter flying from gang leader Akemi’s hair during an entrance, impart an Amélie-esque magic to the film.

Kamikaze is a J-pop-filled teen flick, though not just an exercise in style. The New York Times noted Momoko’s ruffles and knee socks “could make grown men cry,” but dressing Lolita-style can actually be a feminist act in Japan—it’s not traditionally sexy, and men are confused by its devotees’ refusal to dress for them. While the film doesn’t take this tone, Momoko clearly shapes her identity by dressing for herself, a concept all but lost in American teen films. A “Lolita” and “Yanki” would never pal around in real life, but the fantasy is plenty entertaining. As Momoko learns to appreciate her new ally, their odd-couple friendship upsets the status quo, with surprisingly righteous results. (NR)