Popular reviews

• 

  Review by Chris 🦑 ★★★★½ 3

  "We'll be forgotten. We're machines for the processing of desires"

  another reminder that the american film industry constantly tries to emulate asian and especially japanese cinema while almost always falling short - the neon demon really tried it but it could never

  Erika Sawajiri is perfect AND this was written and directed by women??? iconic to say the least

• 

  Review by Vilu ★★★★ 1

  What is that thing you kids say nowadays? "Shove those aesthetics up my ass?" Yeah.

• 

  Review by Mazinkaiser ★★★★★

  Feeling cute, might fall apart later idk

• 

  Review by Warp ★★★★½ 8

  ‘’Youth is beauty. Beauty is not youth."

  A Japanese gem filled with colorful aesthetics and narcissism. The colors, the settings, the lighting, the contrasts, the banging soundtrack, the make up, all the details, its absolutely stunning. One of the most beautiful and extravagant movies I’ve ever seen. 

  A rise and fall story of a artist set in the fashion and pop culture of Japan. Maybe not the most original plot but the amazing acting by Erika Sawajiri as the unsympathetic, insecure and hysterical Lilico and the psychological drama around her do spice this plot up. When the hallucinations start it slowly turns into a psychological horror and it gives that extra surrealistic kick to it. 

  A little point of critique;…

• 

  Review by andperidot ★★★★½

  "celebrity dystopia" is a wonderful genre and i won't hear a word against it

• 

  Review by Harry Du Bois ★★★★ 7

  And the bright-red nightmare-fuel beauty horror extravaganza title of 2012 goes to... Helter Skelter! If you're feeling a little tame today, stay away from this film as far as you can. If you're up for some anxiety and social commentary wrapped up in a beautifully shot, powerfully performed daytime terror, here it is.

  I've heard about this in passing for quite a while now, and I can say that whatever hype you've heard is well worth it. Mika Ninagawa's direction is on point, Erika Sawajiri's central performance is foundational (I long for the day I recite my essay about Sawajiri's Liliko in front of film class), and the balance between melancholy gloom and borderline giallo tension-inducing sequences creates an atmosphere…

• 

  Review by persia 🍒 ★★★★½

  i want to inject this movie into my veins it was just so good! everything from the production design to the performances to the aesthetics....GORGEOUS. this was truly made for the girls.

• 

  Review by lucy ★★★★ 1

  this is what happens when u girlboss too hard

• 

  Review by holli ★★★★½ 1

  "we'll be forgotten. we're just machines for processing desire."

  still can't believe how criminally undersen this film is when it's one of the most perfectly horrifying depictions of beauty standards and celebrity culture in modern cinema; and not to mention being one of the most aesthetically pleasing films ever made. i feel like i was able to get a lot more out of this the second watch, and i will continue to champion this film until all of film letterboxd gives it the attention it deserves.

• 

  Review by Sin ✊🏿 ★★★★★ 15

  "Her beauty is a montage of images. The sum total of our desires. She beats her wings the way we want...even if she can only do that by losing her own feathers."

  This film is E V E R Y T H I N G. I'm so thankful that this story was originally conceived/written (Manga), adapted, and directed by women, as this film's layered sociopolitical commentary is supreme and unrivaled in a way that can only derive from the distinct analyses of women navigating our patriarchal world and perceiving/enduring the albatross of the male gaze.

  With great exuberance, opulent visuals, clever metaphors, amazing detail, an inventive narrative that amplifies reality, and keen, ever-quotable dialogue, this film highlights various issues, including:…

• 

  Review by jason diaz ★★★★★ 1

  my mother said it was like The Neon Demon but not a waste of time

• 

  Review by Gabrielle ★★★★½ 3

  My 日本 Canon

  Mirror, mirror on the wall... Who is the fairest of them all?

  ★★★★★★★★★☆

  Black Swan and The Neon Demon had a baby and it is beautiful.

  Helter Skelter is a psychedelic twisted ride in the world of japanese fashion. It follows Lilico, a superstar model who is the embodiment of perfection that every japanese woman yearns to be (as it's presented here), and the way she deals with the world's demands as she gradually falls apart, both mentally and physically.

  There's no other possible way to start this off: Erika Sawajiri is the shit. She is the most perfect cast for Lilico, who's one of the most iconic characters I've ever seen in japanese cinema. Lilico's one…