Swallowtail Butterfly (film)

Infobox Film
name = Swallowtail Butterfly


director = Shunji Iwai
producer = Shinya Kawai
writer = Shunji Iwai
starring = Hiroshi Mikami,
Chara,
Ayumi Ito
Yosuke Eguchi
Andy Hui
Atsuro Watabe
music = Takeshi Kobayashi
cinematography = Noboru Shinoda
released = 1996
runtime = 148 min.
467 min. (Unreleased uncut edition)
language = Japanese, English, Mandarin
imdb_id = 0117797

"Swallowtail" (スワロウテイル "Suwarōteiru"), 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. It has been both applauded and criticized by viewers.

Cast

* Hiroshi Mikami as Fei Hong
* Chara as Glico
* Ayumi Ito as Ageha
* Yosuke Eguchi as Ryo Ranki
* Andy Hui as Mao Fu
* Atsuro Watabe as Ran
* Tomoko Yamaguchi as Shen Mei
* Nene Otsuka as Reiko
* Kaori Momoi as Suzukino

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 live and make their fortune. The city is called "Yentown", and it is much like Tokyo. 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.

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

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 butterfly".

Box office gross

Japan: ¥2, 928, 000, 000

External links

*imdb title|id=0117797|title=Swallowtail Butterfly