KAMIKAZE GIRLS
2004 · dir. Tetsuya Nakashima · 102 min
- Digital
- 15
- Repertory
Obsessed with Rococo fashion and the fantasy of an aristocratic eighteenth-century France, solitary Lolita Momoko lives a life of elaborate daydreams in rural Japan. Her carefully constructed world is disrupted when she forms an unlikely friendship with Ichigo, a foul-mouthed member of an all-female biker gang. Despite their opposing personalities, the pair embark on a series of misadventures that gradually reveal an unexpected bond. Adapted from Novala Takemoto's novel, Kamikaze Girls established Tetsuya Nakashima as one of Japan's most inventive visual stylists. Blending hyperactive editing, pop-art imagery and irreverent comedy with genuine emotional warmth, the film celebrates individuality, female friendship and the liberating power of subculture. Since its release, it has become a modern cult favourite and one of the defining cinematic portraits of Japan's Lolita fashion movement. Programmed and introduced by Elizabeth Pollitt