Kamikaze Girls begins when our main character is hit square off her moped by a huge lettuce truck and as she floats through the air, a vibrant, rapid-fire set of flashbacks introduces her character from conception to these apparent final moments of life. From the get-go, the film has an infectious sort of appeal in its absurdly quirky characters, colorful and vivacious set design and odd pacing that jerks its viewer around on a whim. While the occasional slow, uninspired moments and simplistic character changes hurt the film, they are barely noticeable in this wildly inventive pic from Tetsuya Nakashima.
Our lead is the adorable, yet rather mellow Kyoko Fukada, who plays the loner, Momoko. She lives with her “loser” dad, helping him make counterfeit Versace and Universal Studios products because she finds it much better than life with her mother, an unfaithful gynecologist-loving wife. Still in high school, Momoko falls in love with the fashion and culture 18 Century France’s Rococo period and dives headfirst into the ‘Lolita’ lifestyle by purchasing frilly dresses and dreaming of life in another time period. Her father moves her far out to the boring countryside where she lives a stagnant life until a biker girl—played marvelously by singer Anna Tsuchiya-- arrives at her doorstep to change everything.
And with flashy cutting, seizure inducing moments and a garish color palette, Kamikaze Girls seems set on catering to the ADD afflicted youth in both style and content. The film is exceedingly self-conscious, as Momoko takes several opportunities to break the fourth-wall Ferris Bueller style and talk to the camera, summarizing a long, boring story for her audience or introducing a spiffy animation sequence to tell another side tale. At its core, it often feels like it is aiming to be one of those seminal films for a new generation in its telling of a simple story about two terribly bored girls living only for their passions without a second thought about their stale, narrow-minded society.
Momoko, the Lolita, and Ichigo, the punk biker, both form an unlikely friendship as two compatible outsiders and despite their odd and particular tastes, it’s easy for any viewer to identify with them on some level. Their chemistry is enough to drive the entire film, and it can keep you laughing no matter how many times Ichigo spontaneously headbutts Momoko. Kyoko Fukada rarely mugs for cuteness and gives a perfect, low-key performance, often letting her character and the writing accentuate Momoko’s cute traits. Anna Tsuchiya gives Ichigo a charming nastiness that allows her to spit and attack at the slightest provocation, and still remain a friend immediately thereafter. The cast of characters is rounded out with an assortment of strange ones, including Momoko’s cheap ex-gangster father, her strange eye-patch donning grandmother, a stylish pachinko machine lurker with a unicorn style haircut, more biker chicks and Momoko’s personal god. They’re all as fun as they sound.
In fact, most of Kamikaze Girls is about sheer fun and exuberance while telling a universal story about unique characters. The racy modern editing style might feel a bit grating, but the film hits far more often than it misses when it takes risks, and it simply results in a very original and addictive work with a big heart.
Reviewed by Tarun
