lily chou-chou – arabesque | all about lily chou-chou, 2001

Описание: The music, the film, this edit — a trance, inviting you into a state of nostalgia.

‘All about lily chou-chou’ isn’t really all about lily chou-chou. It’s really all about a teenage boy and the world around him. at once messy, turbulent, terrible, and idyllic. It creates a haunting portrait of adolescence which I had difficulty appreciating, to be honest. So many troubling themes. Feeling deprived of the wholesome coming-of-age story I thought I was promised. So, I made a smaller edit of all my favourite scenes, keeping this melodic, meditative, youthful, and playful tone that it still had plenty of. A cleansing of sorts. For the nostalgia it could’ve been. I read a review of the film. It said: “[mourns] the despoiling tragedies of pre-adulthood and the infuriating inadequacy of nostalgia.” The inadequacy of nostalgia… huh. That struck me. That’s exactly what the film gave me. And for that, I begrudgingly commend it.

Despite all this, an edit was needed. To soothe me.

‘Arabesque’ is a chilling and elusive track by an equally elusive artist — the non-existent lily chou-chou. Perhaps, this is what the film also (unwittingly?) reinforces through this fictional artist — the elusiveness of nostalgia. A dream. Imaginative. Non-existent.

I took my time with the edit. And at times, the edit took its time with me, lulling me into a state of immovable interest. I would sit for hours editing. Fixating on the littlest of details. hypnotised by the track over and over again. It must’ve put a spell on me. The most calming edit ever. And, with a lot to work with. I fiddled with iMovie. Learnt a few tricks and editing techniques. Indulged in the colour. The rich saturation of summer — deep, bright greens. Handheld cameras as clumsy as the youth it depicts. Atmosphere, silent and soothingly still, in spite of all the spectre of its horror.

I appreciate this edit -- for the creative wealth it gave me. A treasure from somewhere in Japan 2001, for me to use in 2023.


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shelly,
20 mar 23