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Swallowtail Butterfly (film)
Encyclopedia
Swallowtail also known as Swallowtail Butterfly or Yentown, is a 1996 movie by Japan
ese film director
Shunji Iwai
, starring Hiroshi Mikami
, pop-singer Chara
, and Ayumi Ito
.
The film was shot on hand-held cameras using jump cut
s and other visual techniques. It 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.
A theme song for the film under Yen Town Band "Swallowtail Butterfly (Ai no Uta)
" gained No. 1 on the Oricon
Weekly Singles Chart.
, the Japanese currency, was very strong. For this reason immigrants
who have come to work in the city call it "Yen Town".
The story centers on a sixteen-year-old girl (Ito) whose mother has just died. The girl is passed on from person to person until she is taken in by a Chinese prostitute
named Glico (Chara), who names her Ageha (Japanese for swallowtail
). Under Glico's care, Ageha has many experiences with the other immigrants in Yen Town.
The immigrant characters, who speak Japanese, English, Mandarin, or Cantonese, earn their living by committing petty crimes and engaging in prostitution. Ageha does not participate in any of these activities, but is protected by Glico and the other immigrants. The film does not make clear whether Ageha is Japanese or an Asian immigrant.
Eventually, due to a sudden twist in fate, the immigrants are given a chance to realize their various dreams. But in doing so, they destroy their solidarity, and have to face their problems separately.
Swallowtail Butterfly was also nominated for but did not win the following awards:
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Shunji Iwai
Shunji Iwai
is a Japanese film director/video artist, writer and documentarian.-Life and career:Iwai was born in Sendai, Japan, Miyagi prefecture. He attended Yokohama National University, graduating in 1987....
, starring Hiroshi Mikami
Hiroshi Mikami
is a Japanese actor.-Selected filmography:* Tōki Rakujitsu * Swallowtail Butterfly * Parasite Eve * Tsuki no sabaku aka Desert Moon -External links:...
, pop-singer Chara
Chara (singer)
, better known by her stage name Chara, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actress and video jockey. She debuted in 1991 with the single Heaven...
, and Ayumi Ito
Ayumi Ito
Ayumi Itō is a Japanese actress who received her big break in 1996, when she was cast as the central character of Ageha in Shunji Iwai's hit movie, Swallowtail Butterfly. The following year, she won her first Japanese Academy Award for 'Rookie of the Year'...
.
The film was shot on hand-held cameras using jump cut
Jump cut
A jump cut is a cut in film editing and vloging in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit causes the subject of the shots to appear to "jump" position in a discontinuous way...
s and other visual techniques. It 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.
A theme song for the film under Yen Town Band "Swallowtail Butterfly (Ai no Uta)
Swallowtail Butterfly (Ai no Uta)
is a song by Chara, released under the name Yen Town Band. It was the lead single from Montage, a concept album released for the Shunji Iwai film Swallowtail Butterfly that also starred Chara. This song was used as the theme song for the film....
" gained No. 1 on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
Weekly Singles Chart.
Cast
- Hiroshi MikamiHiroshi Mikamiis a Japanese actor.-Selected filmography:* Tōki Rakujitsu * Swallowtail Butterfly * Parasite Eve * Tsuki no sabaku aka Desert Moon -External links:...
as Fei Hong - CharaChara (singer), better known by her stage name Chara, is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actress and video jockey. She debuted in 1991 with the single Heaven...
as Glico - Ayumi ItoAyumi ItoAyumi Itō is a Japanese actress who received her big break in 1996, when she was cast as the central character of Ageha in Shunji Iwai's hit movie, Swallowtail Butterfly. The following year, she won her first Japanese Academy Award for 'Rookie of the Year'...
as Ageha - Yosuke EguchiYōsuke Eguchiis a Japanese poet, actor and singer, who most recently starred in 2009 Japanese film Goemon. Since 1986, he as appeared in a number of television series and movies. He is married to the actress and pop star Chisato Moritaka, with whom he has a son and a daughter....
as Ryo Ranki - Andy HuiAndy HuiAndy Hui Chi-On is a Hong Kong singer and film actor. Hui was the First Runner-up in the 5th Annual New Talent Singing Awards in 1986. Hui has appeared in about 25 films....
as Mao Fu - Atsuro Watabe as Ran
- Tomoko YamaguchiTomoko Yamaguchiis a Japanese actress and singer from Tochigi. She is the lead actress for the classic j-drama Long Vacation, which features her starring alongside with Takuya Kimura.She has been married to Toshiaki Karasawa since 1995.-External links:...
as Shen Mei - Nene Otsuka as Reiko
- Kaori Momoi as Suzukino
Plot summary
The film is set in Tokyo at some unknown time when the yenJapanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
, the Japanese currency, was very strong. For this reason immigrants
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
who have come to work in the city call it "Yen Town".
The story centers on a sixteen-year-old girl (Ito) whose mother has just died. The girl is passed on from person to person until she is taken in by a Chinese prostitute
Prostitution in Japan
Prostitution in Japan has existed throughout the country's history.While the Anti-Prostitution Law of 1956 states that "No person may either do prostitution or become the customer of it," various loopholes, liberal interpretations of the law, and loose enforcement have allowed the sex industry to...
named Glico (Chara), who names her Ageha (Japanese for swallowtail
Swallowtail butterfly
Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies that form the family Papilionidae. There are over 550 species, and though the majority are tropical, members of the family are found on all continents except Antarctica...
). Under Glico's care, Ageha has many experiences with the other immigrants in Yen Town.
The immigrant characters, who speak Japanese, English, Mandarin, or Cantonese, earn their living by committing petty crimes and engaging in prostitution. Ageha does not participate in any of these activities, but is protected by Glico and the other immigrants. The film does not make clear whether Ageha is Japanese or an Asian immigrant.
Eventually, due to a sudden twist in fate, the immigrants are given a chance to realize their various dreams. But in doing so, they destroy their solidarity, and have to face their problems separately.
Awards
- 1997 Japanese Academy AwardsJapanese Academy AwardsThe , often called the Japan Academy Awards or the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Nippon Academy-shō Association for excellence in Japanese film...
- 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 (Yūki NakamuraYuki Nakamurais a Japanese football forward who currently plays for the Slovak 2. liga club FK Bodva Moldava nad Bodvou.-References:...
) - 1997 Japanese Academy Awards - Best Sound (Osamu Takizawa)
- 1997 Japanese Academy Awards - Best Supporting Actress (Ayumi Ito)
- 1997 Moscow International Film FestivalMoscow International Film FestivalMoscow International Film Festival , is the film festival first held in Moscow in 1959. From its inception to 1995 it was held every second year in July, alternating with the Karlovy Vary festival. The festival has been held annually since 1995....
- Golden St. George Award